this post was submitted on 08 Oct 2024
65 points (98.5% liked)

Ask Science

8644 readers
15 users here now

Ask a science question, get a science answer.


Community Rules


Rule 1: Be respectful and inclusive.Treat others with respect, and maintain a positive atmosphere.


Rule 2: No harassment, hate speech, bigotry, or trolling.Avoid any form of harassment, hate speech, bigotry, or offensive behavior.


Rule 3: Engage in constructive discussions.Contribute to meaningful and constructive discussions that enhance scientific understanding.


Rule 4: No AI-generated answers.Strictly prohibit the use of AI-generated answers. Providing answers generated by AI systems is not allowed and may result in a ban.


Rule 5: Follow guidelines and moderators' instructions.Adhere to community guidelines and comply with instructions given by moderators.


Rule 6: Use appropriate language and tone.Communicate using suitable language and maintain a professional and respectful tone.


Rule 7: Report violations.Report any violations of the community rules to the moderators for appropriate action.


Rule 8: Foster a continuous learning environment.Encourage a continuous learning environment where members can share knowledge and engage in scientific discussions.


Rule 9: Source required for answers.Provide credible sources for answers. Failure to include a source may result in the removal of the answer to ensure information reliability.


By adhering to these rules, we create a welcoming and informative environment where science-related questions receive accurate and credible answers. Thank you for your cooperation in making the Ask Science community a valuable resource for scientific knowledge.

We retain the discretion to modify the rules as we deem necessary.


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

I understand that hurricanes get their strength from warm ocean water but do they take a measurable amount of heat from the water? ('Not going anywhere with this question, just wondering.)

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 92 points 1 month ago (8 children)

Yes... -ish. Hurricanes are, in effect, a big heat engine that helps to distribute heat towards the poles from the equator. It is one of Nature's more efficient heat transfer mechanisms, among natural systems.

Hurricanes both draw heat from the ocean surface and the atmospheric boundary layer, and eject it into the upper air through convection and the latent heat released through condensation at the expense of warming the upper-mid layers of the atmosphere.. The surface level winds mix the sea surface waters into deeper layers, cooling the surface at the expense of warming the uppermost marine layers.

You don't, however, get anything for free. On a global scale the heat doesn't so much dissipate as it does just redistribute. The heat is all still there, it's just less concentrated in the equatorial surface-level atmospheric and marine layers by being distributed into upper atmospheric layers, deeper marine layers, and higher latitudes. The average temperature integrated across the entire volume of affected regions might be net lower, but not by enough to matter, and the system is still overall warmer than its long term average.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 month ago (5 children)

Technology Connection enter the chat. "Did someone say giant heatpump"?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

New video just dropped by the way!

load more comments (4 replies)
load more comments (6 replies)