Timeline for Could a firestorm create a hurricane-like cyclone?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
5 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 23 at 12:17 | comment | added | Harrychink | @brian sorry for the tangent but what is the main source of angular momentum then? | |
| Sep 16, 2017 at 19:03 | comment | added | brian | I was sort of sloppy with my language, as the hypothetical situation being described didn't need a super pedantic answer. The hypothetical firestorm, for instance, probably isn't occurring over the tropical ocean. In any case, I edited my comment. Note that angular momentum (M) for a tropical cyclone can be written as M = r v + (1/2) f r^2, so Coriolis (f) is part of the M budget. Anthes (1974) shows that the Coriolis torque is a rather small part of the total angular momentum budget, but the north-south asymmetry of large storms may provide some of the needed angular momentum import. | |
| Sep 16, 2017 at 18:14 | history | edited | brian | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
deleted 150 characters in body
|
| Sep 16, 2017 at 11:39 | comment | added | David Hammen | The spin of a tropical cyclone does not come from converting planetary angular momentum as the storm moves poleward. It instead comes from air flowing inward toward the low pressure at the center of the storm over a vast area. The Coriolis effect turns the airflow turns to the right in the northern hemisphere / to the left in the southern hemisphere. This rather than poleward motion is the source of a tropical cyclone's primary circulation. Cyclones can strengthen as they move toward the equator. What's needed is an energy source to sustain the primary circulation, such as warm ocean water. | |
| Sep 16, 2017 at 2:31 | history | answered | brian | CC BY-SA 3.0 |