Hypercane: Difference between revisions
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===Physical description=== | ===Physical description=== | ||
Hypercanes would have wind speeds of over 500 kilometers per hour,130 [[m/s]], and would also have a central pressure of less than 700 [[hectopascal]]s, giving them an enormous lifespan. | Hypercanes would have wind speeds of over 500 kilometers per hour,130 [[m/s]], and would also have a central pressure of less than 700 [[hectopascal]]s, giving them an enormous lifespan. Such a storm could potentially have been produced by the super-heated ocean waters in the asteroid's impact or volcano eruption zone, creating conditions for a storm that could conceivably have ended up the size of North America, with a storm surge of 60+ feet and an eye nearly 200 miles across. The waters would remain hot enough for weeks, allowing more hypercanes to be formed. A hypercane's clouds would reach 20 miles into the stratosphere.<ref name="MIT"><ref name="What You Need To Know about Hurricanes"-Discovery Channel>[http://wind.mit.edu/~emanuel/holem/holem.html Limits on Hurricane Intensity]</ref> | ||
===Hypercanes in fiction=== | ===Hypercanes in fiction=== | ||
Revision as of 02:52, 25 August 2007
A hypercane is a theoretical class of tropical cyclone that could form if ocean temperatures reached around 50° Celsius (122° Fahrenheit)—15° higher than the warmest ocean temperature ever recorded[1]—which could in turn be caused by a large asteroid or comet impact, a large volcanic or supervolcanic eruption, or very extensive global warming.[2] There is some speculation that some dinosaurs might have been killed off by a series of hypercanes, resulting from an asteroid or comet crashing into Earth.[3] The term was originally coined by atmospheric scientist Kerry Emanuel in 1996, at MIT.[4]
Physical description
Hypercanes would have wind speeds of over 500 kilometers per hour,130 m/s, and would also have a central pressure of less than 700 hectopascals, giving them an enormous lifespan. Such a storm could potentially have been produced by the super-heated ocean waters in the asteroid's impact or volcano eruption zone, creating conditions for a storm that could conceivably have ended up the size of North America, with a storm surge of 60+ feet and an eye nearly 200 miles across. The waters would remain hot enough for weeks, allowing more hypercanes to be formed. A hypercane's clouds would reach 20 miles into the stratosphere.Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag
Hypercanes in fiction
The anime Tactical Roar uses a fictional hypercane in the Pacific Ocean as a pretext to showcase naval battles, which are the series' focus.