Re: Modis Viewer
Posted by
JAC on 8/18/2009, 8:29 pm
Swirly things inside the eye - like tornadoes.
Used to have a good picture of one but can't find it.
Seriously, I read papers where some speculate that they lead to RI much like Hot Towers do.
From Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_(cyclone)
Eyewall mesovortices
Eyewall mesovortices are small scale rotational features found in the eyewalls of intense tropical cyclones. They are similar, in principle, to small "suction vortices" often observed in multiple-vortex tornadoes. In these vortices, wind speed can be up to 10% higher than in the rest of the eyewall. Eyewall mesovortices are most common during periods of intensification in tropical cyclones.
Eyewall mesovortices often exhibit unusual behavior in tropical cyclones. They usually rotate around the low pressure center, but sometimes they remain stationary. Eyewall mesovortices have even been documented to cross the eye of a storm. These phenomena have been documented observationally,[15] experimentally,[16] and theoretically.[17]
Eyewall mesovortices are a significant factor in the formation of tornadoes after tropical cyclone landfall. Mesovortices can spawn rotation in individual thunderstorms (a mesocyclone), which leads to tornadic activity. At landfall, friction is generated between the circulation of the tropical cyclone and land. This can allow the mesovortices to descend to the surface, causing large outbreaks of tornadoes. |
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8/18/2009, 8:04 pm Post A Reply
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