SeCAPS Update
* Good morning! The Southeast Coastal and Atmospheric Processes Symposium continues today in Mobile, Alabama. So far, the speakers have been great. After hearing from Major John Gordon yesterday evening, we were fortunate to hear two more great presentations. Here are some notes...Presenter: John Haynes
Affiliation: NASA
* NASA plays an integral part in weather support operations through their research satellites.
* Some of these satellites are amazing - in fact, one particular satellite has 250 meter resolution! That means it can discern details only 250 meters (a little over 820 feet) apart...Pretty incredible stuff.
* NASA is a partner in TRMM - Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission. This uses various radar products and equations to assess rainfall within tropical systems. An interesting fact this mission found is that tropical cyclones usually have vertical convective development in excess of 12 KM just before rapid intensification.
Presenter: Dr. Mark Powell
Affiliation: NOAA, Hurricane Research Division
* Dr. Powell and his team are working on a new way to measure hurricane intensity.
* He believes, as I do, that the Saffir-Simpson scale is lacking in many important areas.
* One product they are considering is TKE: Total Kinetic Energy. This would assess the storm's ability to produce damage by incorporating its density, drag coefficient, and wind strength.
* Dr. Powell shared with us the physics behind wind damage in hurricanes. He said that turbulence can create small scale "ripples" that cause roof failure. He also stated that once winds get above 115 knots (approx. 125 mph), roof failure becomes much more likely.
* I will post as many updates as possible...But, I forgot my AC adapter in Meridian, so I'm typing this on a nearby desktop computer. So, there is a small chanc that it may be later this evening before I can post again - but, check back for updates throughout the day!
posted by WTOK Weather Staff @ 7:14 AM
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