March 5, 2003 7
Environmental
Weather Trivia
-CORTNEY CHATMAN, Section Editor-
Can lightning strike twice in the same place?
Yes! The old adage of lightning never striking twice in the same place is totally false. Lightning is not limited to a one-bolt action. Many
lightning flashes are of a multiple variety and may strike repeatedly in a few seconds. Up to 22 consecutive lightning strokes have been observed
in a multiple flash. The top of the Empire State Building in New York City is often hit several times during a severe thunderstorm
Can the temperature be estimated by a cricket’s chirp?
You bet! Chirping crickets can provide a rather close indication of the air temperature. Begin by counting the number of cricket chirps in a 14-
second period, then add forty. The total will equal the air temperature (in Fahrenheit) within one degree three out of four times.
I
Why does one’s nose run in the winter?
When cold air is inhaled, the blood veins or capillaries in the nose constrict. After a short period of constriction the capillaries dilate or expand
again naturally. This process encourages the release of mucous from adjacent glands and we end up with a runny nose.
What is spring fever?
Spring fever commonly occurs with a sudden warm spell following a long cold period. When the temperature rises, the body has to get rid of
heat Dilation or expansion of blood vessels so blood can be carried to the body surface where heat can be lost quickly to the air. The energetic
feeling experienced is the body’s reaction to the large amount of work going on to cope with a warming environment
How can the distance to a lightning flash be estimated?
Light from the flash reaches your eyes almost instandy The sound of thunder travels at only 1,100 feet (,3353 meters) per second. Begin
counting seconds from when you see the lightnmg flash (1001,1002,1003, etc) and stop when thunder is heard. Five seconds is approximately
one mile (1.61 kilometers). And, by die way, thunder is seldom heard over 15 miles (24 kilometers) away
How big are raindrops? , . -n. i
Raindrops are much smaUer than we thmk. They range from 1/100 inch (.0254 centimeter) to 1/4 inch (.635 centimeter) in diameter. The rules
of nature don’t aUow raindrops to exceed about 1/4 inch because air friction breaks up raindrops when they’re larger.
How fast do raindrops fall? „ . ^ j
Not including wind-driven ram, raindrops fall between 7 and 18 miles per hour (3 and 8 meters per second) in soil air. The range in speed
depends on die size of the raindrop Air friction breaks up raindrops when they exceed 18 miles per hour.
What causes stars to twinkle?
Small, shifting currents of air _ „
To us the stars appear'to twinkle. It is no wonder die world’s greatest telescopes are located on high mountam tops m an attempt to get above
the most dense atmosphere.
Small, shiftmg currents of air acting as many concave lenses or mirrors bend the incommg starUght causing the light to strike or miss our eyes.
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Are You SA.D.?
-SARA HURTT, Staff Writer-
Have you ever noticed that during the win
ter months you have a lack of energy, and that
you can’t get enough sleep although you slept
for the entire weekend? Many people assoa-
ate these symptoms with what is called “win
ter blues.”
What many people don’t know is that the
“winter blues” is actually a milder version of
a clinical ailment called “Seasonal Affective
Disorder” (S.A.D.) It is defined simply as de
pression that occurs during winter months.
There are no specific causes for S.A.D. How
ever some theories say that one cause is the
lack of natural light during the winter months,
causing a change in chemicals in the brain.
Out of the ten million people in America
who suffer from S.A.D, 70-80% of those are
women, those who live in higher altitudes and
those who live farther north are especially
susceptible to this form of depression.
In extreme cases of S.A.D, medication is
used to treat it. In the milder cases, a treat
ment known as Light Therapy is used, where
patients buy a special lamp that expels a large
amount of light for specific amounts of time.
For those of us who are not clinically diag
nosed with S.A.D., some ways to pull you out
of this litde depression, try taking a walk on a
nice day, keeping your blinds open, and keep
the lights on in your room. Keep a regular
sleep pattern and eat more fruits than carbo
hydrates.
If you are experiencing any sort of depres
sion, talk to someone about it; talk to a friend
or even one of the counselors here on cam
pus in the Stamey Center.
King’s Creek is Moving
-HEATHER HINKLE, Staff Writer-
Do not worry! Not all of King’s Creek is
moving. Just a 2,300 foot section, starting at
the track to right above Neely Street, is
moving due to erosion and the sediment
polluting the steam. It is moving not too far
from the old stream in August of 2003.
Action to reroute the stream started in 1998,
as a demonstration project funded with a grant
of $200,000 from die Clear Water Trust Fund
of North Carolina to Nordi Carolina State
University. Appalachian Center for Environ
mental Solutions (ACES) under die direction
of Dr. Larry Ragsdale, chair of our Science
Division has helped represent the college by
helping with die restoration project Engineers
from North Carolina State University came
and planned in detail the rerouting of the
stream. They designed the stream to help pre
vent erosion and improve water quality by
having it wind, be shallow, and planting veg
etation along its bank. Residential owners of
the south side of King’s Creek and the col
lege have agreed to this design and even pro
vided ideas to make the design better.
The new stream will be connected to die
old stream on both ends and should not af
fect any of the life forms in Kings Creek.
Brevard College has people monitoring the life
forms now and when the six-week construc
tion is finished in August, they will continue
monitoring the life forms and vegetation
planted next to die rerouted stream. Hope
fully die rerouted creek will gready reduce die
erosion and sedimentation problems. The an
ticipation is that diis project will be success
ful and it will show that streams can be re
routed.
jT^trurf> l.:>v
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