Hypercane

A hypercane is a hypothetical class of extreme tropical cyclone that could form if ocean temperatures reached around Template:Convert/°C —15° higher than the warmest ocean temperature ever recorded— which could in turn be caused by a large asteroid or comet impact, a large volcanic or supervolcanic eruption, or very extensive global warming. 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. The term was coined by atmospheric scientist Kerry Emanuel in 1994, at MIT.

Physical description

Hypercanes would have wind speeds of over Template:Convert/km/h, and would also have a central pressure of less than Template:Convert/hPa, giving them an enormous lifespan. The extreme conditions needed to create such a storm could conceivably produce a system up to the size of North America, creating storm surges of 18 metres ({{rnd/cTemplate:Rnd/b|59|(1−1)|0}} ft) and an eye nearly 300 kilometres ({{rnd/cTemplate:Rnd/b|190|(1−2)|0}} mi) across. The waters could remain hot enough for weeks, allowing more hypercanes to be formed. A hypercane's clouds would reach 30 kilometres ({{rnd/cTemplate:Rnd/b|19|(1−1)|0}} mi) into the stratosphere. A hypercane would also damage the earth's ozone. The reason for this is the water molecules sent up into the ozone layer merge with the ultraviolet light repelling particles and disintegrate the particles, creating a hole in the vicinity.

In popular culture

• The anime Tactical Roar uses a fictional hypercane in the Pacific Ocean as a pretext to showcase naval battles, which are the series' focus.
• The science-fiction television series, Stargate Atlantis, featured a hypercane that threatened to destroy Atlantis in an episode titled " The Storm "
• The Future is Wild features hypercanes during the Pangaea II period of Earth, 200,000,000 years in the future.
• In the 2002 novel Minutes to Burn, by Gregg Andrew Hurwitz, hypercanes occur every three to four months after increased tectonic activity and a depleted ozone layer resulted in the tropical ocean raising in temperature.

References

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