Word: shear
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THEATER | Shear Madness...
...chief ways those conditions affect Atlantic hurricane formation is by increasing or decreasing vertical wind shear, the difference in wind speed and direction at different levels of the atmosphere. Too much shear can disrupt the structure of a hurricane's eyewall, whereas more uniform winds allow a hurricane to grow to maximum potential. When Isabel briefly exploded into a Category 5 storm, wind shear was low, and its eyewall formed a nearly flawless cone of clouds some 60,000 ft. high. In the eyewall itself, winds whirled at an epic 230 m.p.h. "When we got into the eye," says Colorado...
Among the most important factors affecting wind shear in the Atlantic, scientists have learned, are the swings between El Nino and La Nina that occur in the tropical Pacific. Best known for their impact on sea-surface temperatures--El Nino produces a pronounced warming along the equator, La Nina a distinct cooling--these swings also affect atmospheric patterns worldwide. El Nino, for example, promotes high-level westerlies that tear off the tops of Atlantic Ocean storms, while La Nina and La Nada--the name some have given to the neutral phase of the cycle that currently reigns--do the opposite...
...says Goldenberg, warm water is the energy source for hurricanes, and so any temperature rise represents an increase in available fuel. Even more important, however, may be the impact that higher sea-surface temperatures have on wind patterns. That's because there are two ways to change wind shear. One is by reducing or amplifying high-level winds, which is what the El Nino cycle does. The other is by tinkering with the winds that take a low-level course. And the rise and fall of Atlantic sea-surface temperatures appear to correlate with both...
...Ginny Shear, 52, of LeRoy, N.Y., a quality-assurance technician for Eastman Kodak, devotes a lot of her spare time to serving as the executive director of the Women's Motorcyclist Foundation, a nonprofit organization that educates the public about motorcycling. In 1996 the group started the Pony Express Relay, a national run to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Three such relays have been held; the last, in 2000, drew about 700 men and women and raised $450,000. The next event, scheduled for July, will have participants joining the route at various points from...