Hurricanes as Heat Engines

  • Credit

    Studio 13

Hurricanes as Heat Engines

As water vapor evaporates from the warm ocean surface, it is forced upward in the convective clouds that surround the eyewall and rainband regions of a storm. As the water vapor cools and condenses from a gas back to a liquid state, it releases latent heat. The release of latent heat warms the surrounding air, making it lighter and thus promoting more vigorous cloud development.

Metadata

  • Sensor

  • Animation ID

    1605

  • Video ID

    None

  • Start Timecode

    1:17:30:00

  • End Timecode

    1:00:00:00

  • Animator

    Susan Byrne

  • Visualization Date

    2000/05/03

  • Scientist

    Robert Adler (NASA/GSFC)

  • Keywords

    Hurricane

  • DLESE Subject

    Natural hazards, Atmospheric science

  • Data Date

    None

  • Pao ID

    G02-031 Similar

  • Story URL

    stories/hurricanes/index.html

  • Animation Type

    Stills