Greenhouse effect of clouds instrumental in origin of tropical storms
The cloud greenhouse effect accelerates tropical cyclone development. Schematic depiction of how the trapping of infrared radiation by deep convective clouds leads to locally increased warming (red shading), and how this warming promotes the thermally direct transverse circulation (thin arrows) of the tropical cyclone. (A) An incipient storm, characterized by a weak, broad primary circulation. (B) An intensifying hurricane characterized by a well-defined eye and a strong primary circulation. IMAGE: JAMES H. RUPPERT JR. / PENN STATE
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — With the tropical storm season in the Atlantic Ocean underway and already well into the Greek alphabet for naming, better storm track prediction has allowed timely evacuations and preparations. However, the formation and intensification of these storms remains challenging to predict, according to an international team of researchers who are studying the origin of tropical cyclones.
"There are critical questions around the formation and intensification of hurricanes that makes forecasting them extremely difficult," said James H. Ruppert Jr., assistant research professor of meteorology and atmospheric science, Penn State. "We don't yet have sufficient understanding of the processes that drive storm formation."
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