Atlantic Hurricanes With Dr. Jeff Halverson: Understanding the 21st Century's New Threat
| 21. The Hurricane - Car Engine Analogy | |
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There are remarkably simple but effective analogies that can be drawn between the components of nature's "heat engine" - the hurricane - and the internal combustion engine under the hood of an ordinary car. + View video + Download Quick Time |
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Media Content: This is a sketch of an automobile engine with some of its parts labeled. These parts are analogous to how a hurricane is powered. This sketch includes a section for students to fill in the analogs. + Download media National Standards: E.2, K-4: students should develop understanding about science and technology. D.1, 5-8; students should develop an understanding of structure of the earth system. D.1, 9-12; students should develop an understanding of energy in the earth system. |
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| 22. The Hurricane Heat Engine | |
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Energy follows many paths and undergoes several transformations in flowing from the ocean upward into the heart of a hurricane. The ultimate power source for hurricanes, and all storms on Earth, is the Sun. + View video + Download Quick Time |
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Media Content: This animation puts the 3D hurricane engine in perspective, by taking a big vertical slice out of the hurricane, revealing its core. It allows one to follow the flow of energy starting from the ocean and working upward, and how the energy transforms itself many times. + Download media National Standards: E.2, K-4: students should develop understanding about science and technology. D.1, 5-8; students should develop an understanding of structure of the earth system. D.1, 9-12; students should develop an understanding of energy in the earth system. |
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| 23. The Carnot Cycle | |
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The elementary principles governing various natural and man-made heat engines was first espoused by Nicolas Leonard Sadi Carnot in 1824 - author of the so- called "Carnot Theory of Heat Engines." Hurricanes are but one of many examples of heat engines in the universe. + View video + Download Quick Time |
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Media Content: This view of Isabel in her mature stage is akin to "The Visible Hurricane." Here we have used satellite images to construct the 3D wind, cloud, rain and temperature structure of the storm. You can see all the main components of the hurricane heat engine. + Download media National Standards: E.2, K-4: students should develop understanding about science and technology. D.1, 5-8; students should develop an understanding of structure of the earth system. D.1, 9-12; students should develop an understanding of energy in the earth system. |
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| 24. The Power of Hurricanes | |
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The amount of energy released by a typical intense hurricane each minute, each hour of every day, dwarfs the energies produced by humans (including atomic bombs) - and it is therefore ludicrous to tame these storms. + View video + Download Quick Time |
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Media Content: N/A National Standards: E.2, K-4: students should develop understanding about science and technology. D.1, 5-8; students should develop an understanding of structure of the earth system. D.1, 9-12; students should develop an understanding of energy in the earth system. |
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| 25. Anatomy of Hurricane Erin's Heat Engine | |
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There are three main components of a hurricane heat engine - heavy rain, heat energy that warms the core of the storm, and strong winds that comprise the vortex. Each of these components can now be measured directly or indirectly using satellites that "see through" the storm clouds. + View video + Download Quick Time |
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Media Content: Here is another 3D view of "The Visible Hurricane", this time for Hurricane Erin, a powerful storm off the coast of New York City on September 10, 2001. Here, satellites supply the veil of clouds and the green colors indicate the rain towers deep in the storm core. The red area is the warm core, but obtained by a NASA high-altitude research aircraft flying over the top of the storm. + Download media National Standards: E.2, K-4: students should develop understanding about science and technology. D.1, 5-8; students should develop an understanding of structure of the earth system. D.1, 9-12; students should develop an understanding of energy in the earth system. |
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