By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
New lab can create hurricane conditions on demand
Miami facility should further research
Hurricane Simulator Heal
In this Tuesday, April 28, 2015 photo, Brian Haus, director of the Surge-Structure-Atmosphere Interaction, or SUSTAIN, lab, stands underneath the storm simulation tank during a demonstration at the University of Miamis Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science in Miami. The lab features a clear acrylic tank 20 meters long and 6 meters high. Inside, 38,000 gallons of seawater can be whipped into white-capped waves by a 1400-horsepower fan that can create conditions as frenzied as a Category 5 hurricane. By observing up close how hurricane-force winds interact with spray coming off seawater, researchers aim to improve real tropical storm observations made by satellites, ocean buoys and drones and other sensors launched from hurricane hunter aircraft. - photo by Associated Press
MIAMI — Researchers trying to figure out what makes some hurricanes strengthen into catastrophic monsters have a new lab that allows them to generate tropical storm conditions with the flip of a switch. The lab is at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. It's known as the Surge-Structure-Atmosphere Interaction, or SUSTAIN. THE TANK The lab features a clear acrylic tank about 75 feet (23 meters) long and 6.5 feet (2 meters) high.
Sign up for the Herald's free e-newsletter