Earth  ID: 20049

Hurricane Heat Engine

Animations by Susan Twardy Released on March 11, 2005
TRMM provides a closer look at hurricanes using a unique combination of passive and active microwave instruments designed to peer inside cloud systems and measure rainfall. TRMM allows scientists to study the combustion process in the hurricane engine and relate this process to intensification or weakening. Cloud Growth - The release of latent heat warms the surrounding air, making it lighter, which promotes more vigorous cloud development. It is suspected that rapid bursts of cloud growth, particularly in the eyewall region of hurricanes, may relate to the intensification phase of a storm. Towering eyewall clouds are potential precursors to intensification of hurricanes.
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This is the standard definition version of the Hurricane Heat Engine - Cloud Growth animation MPEG.

Animation Credits

Susan Twardy (HTSI): Lead Animator
J. Marshall Shepherd (NASA/GSFC): Scientist
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab

Short URL to share this page:
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/20049

Goddard TV Tape:
G1999-045

Keywords:
SVS >> Clouds
SVS >> Gonnelli
GCMD >> Earth Science
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Atmosphere >> Atmospheric Phenomena >> Hurricanes
NASA Science >> Earth

GCMD keywords can be found on the Internet with the following citation: Olsen, L.M., G. Major, K. Shein, J. Scialdone, S. Ritz, T. Stevens, M. Morahan, A. Aleman, R. Vogel, S. Leicester, H. Weir, M. Meaux, S. Grebas, C.Solomon, M. Holland, T. Northcutt, R. A. Restrepo, R. Bilodeau, 2013. NASA/Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Earth Science Keywords. Version 8.0.0.0.0