Hum Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 WASHINGTON (ISNS) -- Five years ago, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, devastating New Orleans and other regions along the Mississippi River Delta. Hurricane forecasting has steadily progressed over the intervening years, which should help cities and states better prepare for devastating cyclones. Now researchers have added another piece to the forecasting puzzle by determining how the texture of landscapes can affect a storm?s motion. New research shows that rough areas of land, including city buildings and naturally jagged land cover like trees and forests can actually attract passing hurricanes. The research found also that storms traveling over river deltas hold together longer than those over dry ground. As a result, the city of New Orleans might feel a greater impact of hurricanes coming off the Gulf of Mexico than existing computer models predict. A team from the University of Hong Kong modeled the effects that different terrain has on the paths of tropical storms to determine how cities that lie in the path of a hurricane change a storm's motion. "Cities impose greater friction on the swirling flow because of the tall buildings," said Johnny Chan, a professor of meteorology at the university. "Our results show that tropical cyclones tend to be 'attracted' towards areas of higher friction. So it is possible that cities could cause tropical cyclones to veer towards them." Rough cityscapes and forests trap air. This compresses the air and forces it up into the atmosphere, adding energy to the storm and pulling the center of the hurricane toward the rough region. As a result, a city can cause a hurricane to swerve from its predicted path by as much as 20 miles. The change is comparatively small for hurricanes that can reach widths of hundreds of miles, but according to Chan, ?The main implication from this study is that in any computer prediction of the track of a hurricane, the representation of the land surface is important.? The researchers also found that river deltas contribute to the longevity of hurricanes. There is more heat-carrying moisture available to evaporate from the wet deltas than dry ground, prolonging the life of the storm. more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theclueless Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 its not because cities attract tropical storms, it is because people often build on sites that are on the path of tropical storms, since they are often rich in resources and next to river/coast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Growled Member Posted August 24, 2010 Member Share Posted August 24, 2010 its not because cities attract tropical storms, it is because people often build on sites that are on the path of tropical storms, since they are often rich in resources and next to river/coast Plus, there is more development along the coast. There is barely a spot where we haven't built something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mokthraka Posted August 26, 2010 Share Posted August 26, 2010 its not because cities attract tropical storms, it is because people often build on sites that are on the path of tropical storms, since they are often rich in resources and next to river/coast please tell me where you found this amazing information! because, until you come up with a valid source, Im going to trust the people from the university. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ViperAFK Posted September 1, 2010 Share Posted September 1, 2010 please tell me where you found this amazing information! because, until you come up with a valid source, Im going to trust the people from the university. Its pretty common knowledge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincent Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 Edit: nevermind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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