Re: Weather (Was: OT: go nuclear. Was: Detecting ETI via CO2)


"Martin 53N 1W" <ml_news@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:H03Ve.6927$zw1.5207@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[...]
>>> Please spoonfeed. Show me you have a rational thought behind your post.
>
> Matt, if you won't believe me, then see if you can believe this recent article:
>
> http://www1.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/hurricane_record.html

Very good article Martin.
Also, did you run the video ?
For one, it shows that in the trail of each hurricane, the water cooled down.
Very clearly visible, especially with Emily.
That is the hurricane gets its power from : warm water (vapor, (steam that is)) gets sucked up.

You don't need to be a hurricane specialist to understand what drives hurricanes :
Use your common sense of physics :
A hurricane is a (chimney-type solar) heat engine (a heat engine).
It thrives on moist warm air (steam that is), which is feely available over warm water.

A heat engine is more efficient if the difference in temp is greater,
and that depends on the hight of the chimney and the water temp and the
temperature of the chimney exit (upper atmosphere).
Also the strength depends on the efficiency and the size (amount of water
vapor displaced) of the hurricane. The hight of the chimney depends on
the strength and the size (just like a tornado).

See the inter-dependency ? These suckers can fuel themselves and grow increadably large if
not stopped by boundary conditions such as cooler water, turbulence in upper atmosphere,
less water vapor available (e.g. over land), more friction (e.g. over land) can stop it.

None form over water below 80 F. Above that, it very rapidly increases in strength :
Katrina was a 1 TW power heat engine. Formed just from
the difference between 80 F water (no hurricane) and 90 F water (of the Gulf).

Even a few F difference can mean the difference between a cat 2 and a cat 4 hurricane.
Which, as we know now, can mean the difference between levies that hold, and levies that break.
Which, as we know now, can mean the difference between a $15B cost disaster and a $150B cost disaster.

In the Pacific, the have super-Hurricanes (>cat 5), with water just a degree or two warmer than the west-Atlantic.
These things will become more common as waters around the globe warm up.

Brace yourself...

Rob



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