Date of Award

8-2010

Document Type

Capstone

Degree Name

M.S.

Keywords

Atmospheric environments, Tornado development, El Nino, Southern Oscillation, Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, Pacific Decadal Oscillation

Department

Geography

First Advisor

Heather Hicks

Abstract

Meteorologists are continually working toward a greater understanding of which atmospheric environments are most conducive for tornado development. This Capstone project analyzed tornado occurrences across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana during the period 1950 through 2009 to determine if any correlation exists between the location and frequency of tornado activity and the phases of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation, the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. While it was determined that no phase of any of the oscillations studied was significantly more dominant over the other(s) concerning frequency, this project does identify some spatial shifts in tornado activity depending on the phase. By establishing basic tornado climatology, this project also provides the basis for continued research in a number of related topics

Comments

Copyright is held by the author.



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