Details
- Agency : Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science – University of Miami
Advertiser :
- The Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science is an academic oceanographic and atmospheric research institutions.
Objective / insight
- It is still very difficult today for meteorologists to predict the intensity of a hurricane or tropical storm.
- SUSTAIN (Surge-Structure-Atmosphere Interaction facility) includes a unique capability to generate directional waves combined with direct wind forcing. The lab can concoct hurricanes on command.
- The new simulator should allow us to unlock the many mysteries that still surround hurricanes and help us better prepare to face them.
Implemented strategy
- Obtaining more accurate, updated information on hurricanes is a matter of safety and preparedness for coastal communities.
- « SUSTAIN » should allow meteorologists to refine their prediction models, to better calculate the intensity of cyclones and tropical storms.
- The researchers hope to understand how storms damage homes and buildings hit by a hurricane.
Technology implemented
- Researchers can study the complex interactions between the air and the surface of the sea under extreme conditions.
- There are various uses for specialized equipment in the SUSTAIN laboratory:
- testing the resilience of model homes and buildings
- studying how sea spraying affects the increasing intensity of a storm (due to heat transfer from the water to the atmosphere as the spray is generated)
- And monitoring how carbon dioxide moves from the ocean to the air during a hurricane.
Results
- They can monitor the differences between different storm categories and ultimately advise governments and authorities on the best ways to deal with them.
