Katrina fun fact

[phantom power]

By my rough estimate, Katrina lowered the surface temperature of the Gulf by 2 degrees F (based on surface temp maps before and after). The Gulf has a surface area of 1.5 million square kilometers. As an arbitrary assumption, I guessed that the top 0.3 meters (~1 ft) was affected. If anything, I would guess that assumption is low.

Crunching those numbers, I get 2.1 ExaJoules of heat-energy that Katrina sucked from the Gulf and turned into wind and rain. That's about 2% of the energy America uses each year.

[msongs]

1. hurricane ophelia sucked up colder water and weakened ->

it churned up the sea off of NC and brought up colder water from the depths, causing the hurricane to fluctuate in strenght from TS to 'cane and back again until it moved over the core of the gulf stream.

wonder how much the gulf has warmed up since katrina?

now there is a new trop depression moving into the gulf as a hurricane soon according to NOAA projections.

Msongs
www.msongs.com/clark2008.htm

[phantom power]

3. It does not appear to have warmed up any since Katrina.

But it's still plenty warm enough to fuel a major hurricane.

[dcfirefighter]

2. From the NOAA

52 Exajoules A DAY

http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/D7.html

[phantom power]

4. I'm not even a good estimator.

Either my affected depth assumption was off by a factor of 25, or I'm missing some big source of energy besides surface heat. Or some combination of the two.

[Dogmudgeon]

5. It could just be a missed decimal point

Don't sweat it -- we've lost space probes over less.

--p!

[NNadir]

6. I'm surprised no one has piped in with a scheme to capture this energy...

...and use it to power Hummers and such.

[skids]

7. Just make them amphibious.

Then you can ride the storm surge over the traffic jam.

:eyes: