My tornadogenesis hypothesis :)
Hey Forum,
I kind of want to chase tornadoes :) but most importantly I really want to solve the mystery of it. well actually its more like I am fascinated by vortex dynamics in general.
anyways by happen chance...
I have revisited the subject of tornado research and have been pursuing this interest in great detail all day today. and also by happen chance I have a new hypothesis to add to my current hypothesis....
I agree (for the most part) with the general theory of how classical tornado's are formed. However what boggles my mind is that we still don't fully understand why a particular super cell will spawn massive devastatingly powerful tornadoes but another super cell with similar or nearly identical conditions only spawns a bunch of weak tornadoes....
At first I was thinking "Thermodynamic". which is why (several months ago) I was very interested to see thermal images (or near infrared images) of tornadic activity. Tornado researchers have just recently started to attempt to catch thermal images of tornadic activity, unfortunately though a tornado researcher lost his life in this pursuit. I was also able to find a paper where a team was lucky enough to get a clear shot and the evidence seems to suggest that there isn't an intense temperature gradient after all. It only drops a couple of degrees as you go up the funnel but overall stable in terms of temperature.
My stale hypothesis is this: the RFD pulls down the meso vortex (or vertically orients pre-existing horizontal rotation) towards the ground where it accumulates dust and debris. I think it is the conservation of angular momentum caused by the aerosols and debris interacting with one another within the vortex that not only focuses the rotation (tightens it up) but also intensifies it as well. this of course creates a feedback loop where the vortex accumulates more and more aerosol and debris further strengthening the vortex but also capable of chocking it out.
but what if there is some other mechanism?
in fact I am very interested to hear about if any tornado chasers who use old fashion magnetic compasses for navigation ever experience any local magnetic anomalies near or around massive tornadoes...
what if instead of looking up at tornadoes we should be looking down deep underground? perhaps some geothermal activity in the magma currents under the surface of the mantle is what actually pulls the meso down? or perhaps this geothermal activity is the mechanism that intensifies rotation and/or strength or tornadic activity and maybe just maybe geothermal/magnetic mechanism is what determines the path of a tornado.
just thinking out loud....
i have reached out to basehunters to see if they would take an old school magnetic compass along with them the next time they chase.
I kind of want to chase tornadoes :) but most importantly I really want to solve the mystery of it. well actually its more like I am fascinated by vortex dynamics in general.
anyways by happen chance...
I have revisited the subject of tornado research and have been pursuing this interest in great detail all day today. and also by happen chance I have a new hypothesis to add to my current hypothesis....
I agree (for the most part) with the general theory of how classical tornado's are formed. However what boggles my mind is that we still don't fully understand why a particular super cell will spawn massive devastatingly powerful tornadoes but another super cell with similar or nearly identical conditions only spawns a bunch of weak tornadoes....
At first I was thinking "Thermodynamic". which is why (several months ago) I was very interested to see thermal images (or near infrared images) of tornadic activity. Tornado researchers have just recently started to attempt to catch thermal images of tornadic activity, unfortunately though a tornado researcher lost his life in this pursuit. I was also able to find a paper where a team was lucky enough to get a clear shot and the evidence seems to suggest that there isn't an intense temperature gradient after all. It only drops a couple of degrees as you go up the funnel but overall stable in terms of temperature.
My stale hypothesis is this: the RFD pulls down the meso vortex (or vertically orients pre-existing horizontal rotation) towards the ground where it accumulates dust and debris. I think it is the conservation of angular momentum caused by the aerosols and debris interacting with one another within the vortex that not only focuses the rotation (tightens it up) but also intensifies it as well. this of course creates a feedback loop where the vortex accumulates more and more aerosol and debris further strengthening the vortex but also capable of chocking it out.
but what if there is some other mechanism?
in fact I am very interested to hear about if any tornado chasers who use old fashion magnetic compasses for navigation ever experience any local magnetic anomalies near or around massive tornadoes...
what if instead of looking up at tornadoes we should be looking down deep underground? perhaps some geothermal activity in the magma currents under the surface of the mantle is what actually pulls the meso down? or perhaps this geothermal activity is the mechanism that intensifies rotation and/or strength or tornadic activity and maybe just maybe geothermal/magnetic mechanism is what determines the path of a tornado.
just thinking out loud....
i have reached out to basehunters to see if they would take an old school magnetic compass along with them the next time they chase.
