Psalm 135:7 declares that it is God who “makes the clouds rise at the end of the Earth, who makes lightning for the rain and brings forth the wind from His storehouses.” But exactly how does He do that? What causes some storms to be so severe? Why do some hurricanes strengthen into monsters while others fade out?
Researchers hope to find out by creating hurricanes inside a new lab. The lab’s central feature is a 38,000-gallon acrylic tank. It is 75 feet long and 6.5 feet high. The lab uses a 1,700 horsepower fan to create Category 5 conditions inside the tank, with winds topping 157 miles per hour.
Where does all this happen? At The University of Miami’s Rosensteil School of Marine and Atmospheric Science’s lab known as SUSTAIN. That’s an acronym for Surge-Structure-Atmosphere Interaction.
Satellite sensors on the lab’s high ceilings look down at the “hurricane” churning in the tank. According to director Brian Haus, researchers hope to learn how to better fine-tune satellites that watch real storms. Right now, scientists don’t really know what satellites show in extreme conditions.
Researchers can observe what’s going on inside the tank from all angles—underneath, above, or beside it. During storms, “hurricane hunter” aircraft launch satellites, buoys, and drones into the storm. The more researchers know about storm conditions, the better they can adapt these tools to collect data.
One area of concern has to do with hurricane-level winds meeting ocean water. Researchers want to figure out what role tiny elements like ocean spray play in transferring energy from the ocean to a storm. Researchers think this will help solve the mystery of what makes some storms fizzle and others strengthen.
Forecasters have gotten better at predicting a tropical storm’s direction over the past 20 years. But they haven’t made much headway on determining intensity. Will research in the SUSTAIN lab help?
By the time you read this, the Atlantic hurricane season, which begins June 1, will be well underway. Think about what you’ve seen in the news. Is it working? How are forecasters doing with their predictions?
