Oliver and all, Again, this is NOT my area of expertise, but I am aware of a little work that has been done based on hurricane measurements combined with modeling. Unfortunately, I haven't found anything that gives flux numbers, but the NOAA Aeronomy Laboratory group has been looking at this and those that are interested might contact them. Here's an example that from an AGU meeting abstract:
Upper Tropospheric-Lower Stratospheric In-Situ Measurements Over Hurricane Floyd: The Impact of Tropical Cyclones on Stratosphere-Troposphere Exchange AU: * Richard, E C EM: [email protected] AF: NOAA Aeronomy Laboratory, 325 Broadway R/AL6, Boulder, CO 80305 United States AU: Rosenlof, K H EM: [email protected] AF: NOAA Aeronomy Laboratory, 325 Broadway R/AL6, Boulder, CO 80305 United States AU: Ray, E A EM: [email protected] AF: NOAA Aeronomy Laboratory, 325 Broadway R/AL6, Boulder, CO 80305 United States AU: Kelly, K K EM: [email protected] AF: NOAA Aeronomy Laboratory, 325 Broadway R/AL6, Boulder, CO 80305 United States AU: Thompson, T L EM: [email protected] AF: NOAA Aeronomy Laboratory, 325 Broadway R/AL6, Boulder, CO 80305 United States AU: Mahoney, M J EM: [email protected] AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States AB: The structure of hurricanes from the surface up to 200 mb (12 km) has been extensively studied. However, because of operational limitations of aircraft, very little in-situ information has been obtained within the hurricane environment in the upper troposphere-lower stratosphere (UT/LS). During the ACCENT experiment the WB-57 overflew Hurricane Floyd as it made landfall near the Georgia-South Carolina coastal boarder. High time resolution in-situ chemical measurements of ozone, methane and water vapor as well as meteorological data were obtained over a large area above Floyd, including regions of the eye-wall and eye. Two days prior, a similar flight track was followed by the WB-57 allowing for a comparison study of the influence of Floyd on the UT/LS region. In the UT/LS, ozone and methane serve as conserved tracers of stratospheric and tropospheric air, respectively and are used to compare the characteristics of the air masses. A comparison of the vertical profiles between the tropopause and 80 mb (18 km) for these two days shows lower water vapor, lower ozone and higher methane mixing ratios during the Floyd overflight. The results are consistent with local dehydration occurring above the storm, while the lower ozone and higher methane are indicative of upward transport of ozone poor and methane rich tropospheric air. In an attempt to quantify the mass flux into the stratosphere induced by Floyd we have performed an NCAR Mesoscale Model 5 (MM5) simulation. These results are compared with the in-situ data to assess the influence of Floyd on the stratosphere above the 400 K potential temperature level. Additionally, these results allow us to address the validity of the satellite results from the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) where local changes in the total ozone column have been used to elucidate hurricane evolution. On 6/2/09 11:33 PM, "Oliver Wingenter" <[email protected]> wrote: > > Dear Margaret, > > Can you inform us about the impact of hurricanes on transport of water > vapor and other gases to the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere (UT/ > LS)? > > Sincerely, > > Oliver Wingenter > > On Jun 2, 11:38 am, Margaret Leinen <[email protected]> > wrote: >> Alvia, >> >> You are correct that hurricanes and tropical cyclones move heat. It was not >> clear from your answer whether you were saying that you doubted that they >> mattered much for heat dissipation on a global scale or whether you were >> saying that you doubted that they mattered much for heat transport. They >> are actually an important mechanism for the latter. Estimates based on >> observations incorporated into models suggested that ocean heating induced >> by topical cyclones could be as much as 1.4 (± 0.7) × 10^^15 W for a single >> year (Emanuel, 2001), a significant fraction of the observed peak poleward >> heat flux and enough to require consideration in the climate system. More >> recent modeling by Hu and Meehl (Gerry may be on this list and is far more >> authoritative on this topic than am I) (2009) also suggests that hurricanes >> can strengthen the meriodional overturning circulation and may play an >> important role in the climate system. >> >> Margaret >> >> On 6/2/09 1:12 PM, "Alvia Gaskill" <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> >> >>> As the article indicates, what hurricanes do is move heat around, not >>> dissipate it. Whether this actually cools the planet is unknown. Given the >>> relatively small number of all tropical cyclones and their short lifetimes >>> of >>> around a week or so, I doubt they matter very much on a global scale. >>> Another >>> theory has them increasing atmospheric CO2 by stirring up surface waters, >>> although they may also reduce it by upwelling nutrients causing >>> phytoplankton >>> blooms. Global warming didn't stop because of all the storms in 2005 (the >>> year of Katrina) and it didn't get worse in the subsequent years due to >>> fewer >>> storms. >> >>> http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/01/29/hurricane-climate-02.html >> >>> Hurricanes' Climate Footprint Felt for Months >>> Michael Reilly, Discovery News >> >>> Jan. 29, 2009 -- Just as a changing climate shapes the strength and >>> frequency >>> of hurricanes, the storms may have a huge effect on climate, leaving >>> "footprints" in the atmosphere and ocean. >> >>> Watch a video on hurricane-prone coastlines. >> >>> Hurricanes are infamous as harbingers of chaos -- flooding cities, ripping >>> houses to shreds, destroying beaches and even whole islands. And concerns >>> are >>> growing that human-induced climate change may lead to stronger storms whose >>> intensity will wreak even more havoc on coastal communities around the >>> world. >> >>> But the full interplay between hurricanes and climate remains an enigma. >> >>> Robert Hart of Florida State University analyzed two decades of climate data >>> from the tropics, and found that each storm leaves a wake of anomalously >>> cool >>> water and warm air behind it that can persist anywhere from one to two >>> months, >>> depending on the storm's strength. >> >>> Scientists have known for years that hurricanes cause cool ocean waters to >>> well up, but Hart was surprised at how long the atmosphere retained a >>> "memory" >>> of each storm. >> >>> That got him thinking: if one storm can have such a lasting impact, what >>> does >>> a whole season of storms do to Earth's climate? Would there be a difference >>> in >>> effect between an active hurricane season and a quiet one? >> >>> Hart performed a series of calculations and came up with a striking >>> preliminary answer: hurricane seasons that spawned more storms (like 2005, >>> for >>> example) led to quieter winters in the northern hemisphere, and quiet >>> hurricane seasons led to winters with lots of storm activity. >> >>> The reason, Hart speculates, is that hurricanes bring large amounts of heat >>> out of the tropics and toward the poles. When a season has more storms, more >>> heat is deposited closer to the poles and the tropics are cooled off more, >>> so >>> that when winter sets in there is less temperature difference between the >>> poles and tropics. >> >>> "That's what winter weather is -- movement of heat between the tropics and >>> the >>> poles," Hart said. "So it's possible that hurricanes do more than their fair >>> share of the work during an active season, and there's less work to be done >>> during the winter." >> >>> Gabriel Vecchi of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association's >>> Geophyscial Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, N.J., said Hart's work >>> gets at some of the toughest questions in meteorology today: What are >>> hurricanes? Do they serve a purpose? >> >>> "It may sound like a stupid question, but I wonder what tropical cyclones' >>> role in the climate system is," he said. >> >>> There are two general theories -- one which states that hurricanes are >>> simply >>> the result of more potent forces, like El Nino pushing vast amounts of heat >>> and moisture around Earth's atmosphere. The other says hurricanes are vital >>> heat engines that transfer energy from the tropics toward the poles. Through >>> their fury, they are in fact bringing balance to the planet's climate. >> >>> "The list of results about how they affect climate is getting longer," >>> Vecchi >>> said. "This is all hinting that tropical cyclones do something profound." >> >>> ----- Original Message ----- >>> From: f.m.maugis >>> To: [email protected] ; [email protected] >>> Sent: Tuesday, June 02, 2009 11:30 AM >>> Subject: RE: [geo] Just in Time for Hurricane Season >> >>> Why killing hurricanes, as far as they cool naturally our climate ? >> >>> François MAUGIS >>> http://assee.free.fr >>> =============================================== >> >>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> -- >>> De : [email protected] >>> [mailto:[email protected]] De la part de Alvia Gaskill >>> Envoyé : mardi 2 juin 2009 01:09 >>> À : [email protected] >>> Objet : [geo] Just in Time for Hurricane Season >> >>> I was admittedly a little drowsy when I saw the promo for this, but it >>> appears to be another incarnation of the ocean pipes idea or perhaps the >>> same >>> one from Atmocean. One problem for would be hurricane killers is that they >>> seem to be appearing in places where they shouldn't, when they shouldn't and >>> rapidly intensifying, giving little time to react. Thus, strategies that >>> prevent the conditions that drive hurricane development should probably be >>> considered before filling up the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic with >>> plastic >>> pipes. The cloud ships, the partial desert cover and the stratospheric >>> aerosols all could be part of the first line of defense. >> >>> http://science.discovery.com/tv-schedules/series.html?paid=48.15725.2... >>> 4.3 >> >>> NextWorld >>> Future Danger >>> TV-G >> >>> Future Danger enters a world where robots safeguard our cities, massive >>> underwater heating and cooling systems break up hurricanes before they hit >>> land, and advanced rocket interceptors protect the planet from asteroids >>> that >>> could wipe out humanity. >> >>> Air times in the U.S.: June 7, 9pm, June 8, 12am and June 9, 4 am. 60 >>> minutes. >> >> -- >> Margaret Leinen, PhD. >> Climate Response Fund >> 119 S. Columbus Street >> Alexandria, VA 22314 >> 202-415-6545 > > -- Margaret Leinen, PhD. Climate Response Fund 119 S. 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