Scientists understand a lot about the environment - but they don’t understand everything! Every year, there are big and small disasters in different parts of the world. Some of these happen very often, but some of them are a big shock. How do these natural disasters affect humans? Can we do anything about them? Hurricanes. What are they? Tropical storms with strong winds. They start at sea, and can travel a long distance. They have different names in different places: ‘hurricanes’ in the Atlantic Ocean, ‘typhoons’ in the Pacific Ocean, ‘tropical cyclones’ in the Indian Ocean and around Australasia. Tornadoes, or whirlwinds, are similar, but begin over land. Why do they happen? The water evaporates from the warm sea. This condenses in the atmosphere. More and more hot, wet air rises up. It becomes a strong wind. Where do they happen? Over the warm parts of oceans. Tornadoes are common in parts of
the U.S.A, Australia, and Japan. How do they affect people? They can affect ships, blow down
22houses, cause floods and disrupt traffic. What can people do? Scientists can usually track
hurricanes, but they cannot stop them.
1. Scientists know everything about the environment. True False
2. Great and small disasters take place each year in different parts of the world. True False
3. Hurricanes can be of various names in different places. True False
4. Hurricanes are common in all parts of the world. True False
5. It is difficult for scientists to stop them. True False