hilltopics
B
S K
K V
9 l a
8 s l g
Wednesday, April 26, 2000
$$
a _ {1} = a _ {2} = a _ {3} = a _ {4} = a _ {5} = a _ {6} = a _ {7} = a _ {8} = a _ {9} = a _ {1 0}
$$
culture society entertainment health
10A
STORM
KU professor simulates tornados in Malott lab
By Jason Ferber Special to the Kansan
When Professor Joe Eagleman spotted a tornado on campus in
1985, he wasn't worried. He knew that the vortex could be eliminated at the push of a button. He had placed himself in total control of one of nature's most powerful storms.
The laboratory tornado in Malott Hall was the first
of its kind when Eagleman created it in 1985. Eagleman, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University since 1963, was the first to create a simulated tornado that was not contained in a box. His model is in a classroom-sized room with the actual vortex measuring 8 feet tall.
Professor Joe Eagleman
Tornado history
Since 1950, most violent tornado in Douglas County was on May 22, 1952. The tornado was an F4.
F0: 40-72 mph
F1: 73-112 mph
F2: 113-157 mph
F3: 158-206 mph
F4: 207-260 mph
F5: 261-318 mph
Percent of all U.S. tornados 1950-1994
74 percent are F0-F1 (weak)
25 percent are F2-F3 (strong)
1 percent are F4-F5 (violent)
Source: The Tornado Project
In the United States, an average of 700 tornadoes are reported each year. Kansas is among five states with the highest incidence of tornadoes per 10,000 square miles. Since 1961, about 2,500 people have died, and 50,000 people have been injured as a result of tornadoes in the United States
Tornados in Douglas County from 1990-1995
Source: National Severe Storm Forecast Center
May 16, 1995 — F1
Sept. 21, 1993 — F0
July 9, 1993 — F0
May 6, 1993 — F1
June 15, 1991 — F0
March 1, 1991 — F0
March 12, 1990 — F0
The model serves as a tool in trying to understand the complex nature of tornadoes.
"It is very difficult to get accurate measurements of a tornado," Eagleman said. "With a free vortex such as the laboratory tornado, we can actually get close to it and make measurements."
The setup of the laboratory tornado is not very complex. An updraft fan is placed in the ceiling to duplicate the upflow of air in a tornado. Two box fans are placed on opposite sides of the room facing in opposite directions to create the proper air rotation. Dry ice vapors are then used to establish a visible vortex. With this method, measurements can be taken inches from the actual vortex.
Matt Elwell, undergraduate teaching assistant for Introduction to
Meteorology, said he helped demonstrate the tornado once or twice each semester.
Students in teaching labs investigate the aspects of the tornado in the laboratory setting.
don't have a complete understanding, but the more information the better."
"The students always seem to be very into finding out about the tornado," said Elwell, Leavenworth senior. "It's a great little experiment."
The tornado measures the vortex's interaction with the ground as well as the airflow over infrastructures such as houses. These measurements can then be used to assess patterns in actual tornadoes.
"Thirty years ago there was very little understanding of how thunderstorms were related to tornadoes," Eagleman said. "We still
He pointed out that his model helped grasp the complexity of the tornado.
If you can show how it works in the laboratory with the appropriate air currents, you have a pretty solid chance of getting it right with a real tornado." Eagleman said.
Elwell said the model was useful in showing students how tornados are invisible until they begin to pick up debris.
"We use dry ice to simulate the debris," Elwell said.
At the time of its conception, E a g l e m a n ' s model was so innovative that many copycat models spawned from it. Pur-
spawned from it. A due University, the University of Chicago and the University of Oklahoma all have models similar to that of Eagleman's.
The model was not patented because it was created at a university. Those who need information on the laboratory tornado, however, know who the creator really is.
Eagleman was contacted by Universal Studios Orlando last year and asked to be a consultant for the construction of a 50-foot vortex.
"They approached me because they wanted to build their vortex after they did the movie Twister," Eagleman said.
With Eagleman's help, Universal Studios built the vortex, which Eagleman said was pretty impressive. The huge fans are concealed and special effects are used to simulate lightning.
Eagleman also consulted for a 20-foot vortex in the Exploratorium in San Francisco.
Last semester, Eagleman worked on a theoretical project with the White Sands Missile Base in New Mexico. He was researching exactly what a vortex is and what its components are.
Research and technology are key to understanding tornadoes, Eagleman said. Given the current technological boom, he said, scientists are getting closer to having a complete understanding of tornadoes.
the laboratory tornado serves as an important tool in the quest for those answers. One thing that scientists agree on is that if tornadoes can be brought into an environment where they can be studied, those answers become much easier to attain.
"If the information and measurement explosion continues, we may have the answers we need in 25 years." Eagleman said.
Illustration by Kyle Ramsey/KANSAN