There was much coverage recently about the claim of physicist Rongjia Tao (left) of Temple University that tornados could be curtailed dramatically in the Midwest by the construction of 1,000-foot walls across the middle of the country. Meteorologist Brice Coffer of North Carolina State University says that his research blows away that theory.
Coffer (right) published his results in the Electronic Journal of Severe Storm Meteorology. He looked at Tao’s claim that “If we build three east-west great walls in the American Midwest, one in North Dakota, one along the border between Kansas and Oklahoma to the east, and the third one in south Texas and Louisiana, we will diminish the tornado threats in the Tornado Alley forever.” Coffer decided to plug in the numbers in computer simulations and found the Great Wall would have little impact on the atmosphere as suggested since “[t]he warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico simply flows up and over the minor obstacle.” In fact, even if the air is pushed around the walls, it merely causes the “tornadic storms to be shifted east, instead of eliminating them.”
Then there is the little problem that the wall, in Coffer’s view, could block moisture flowing north from the Gulf of Mexico and turn most of the central USA into a desert.
Now that this theory has been analyzed I thought that these two academics can join forces in addressing this twister and the danger of transportation to different realms:
Source: USA Today
Here is how you stop tornados. You outlaw sin. Then God will not punish humans. Those humans out in Kansas have a lot of explaining to do. The Brownback effect is one issue which needs to be discussed. When he is gone the tornados will ebb. And if Kansas City Missouri wins the World Series tonight the good will flow across into Kansas. Walls have no place in atmospheric control. The Russians tried it in Berlin and it was a failure. If there is to be a wall in America it should be around NYC.
Debate over whether 1000 ft high walls across the country would stop tornados! How about nuclear powered fans that are 2000 ft in diameter, or maybe a glass dome over the entire great plains. I bet that would stop tornados.
bettykath
Dredd, thanks for the link.
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At your service.
The problem that JT points out is that “physicist Rongjia Tao (left) of Temple University” is treating the effect rather than the cause.
A lack of logic.
I have noticed a surge of that approach in the rhetoric of those proposing a way of dealing with global warming induced climate change.
Building sea-walls in response to rising sea levels is another example.
The cause, fossil fuel use, is where a logical response would be focused.
At the same time, since there is about a 40 year lag time now, from cause to effect, some sea-wall building will have to be done if folks are not going to move inland.
Annie – academically it is good form to acknowledge that the link is your work. You say something like, “You might be interested in how I handled the subject in the following essay, etc.”
BTW, she did not call him a ho, she called him a link whore. Big difference.
I think Obama is issuing an Executive Order to build and drop these walls wherever needed using drones–even if there is no actual knowledge of an impending tornado.
See, I really am an equal opportunity humorist. Republicans are 99% wrong, so I zing the Democrats proportionally.
Tao is thinking outside the box, which is good, but he needs to do more research or just plain thinking.
I am thinking a 1000 foot wall around D.C. would be a great help to us all.
Dredd, thanks for the link.
Perhaps it would help, if we just built a 1000 foot high wall around Texas????????
Nick Spinelli
DBQ, The first person to make my Ignore List. That doesn’t mean reciprocity, unfortunately. Just sayn’.
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And much appreciated.
DBQ, The first person to make my Ignore List. That doesn’t mean reciprocity, unfortunately. Just sayn’.
“The reason the heart of the North American continent bears the brunt of these most powerful of twisters lies with its unique topography. Only in North America does a solid land mass stretch from the sub-tropics to the arctic with no mountain barriers to inhibit the mixture of air masses originating from these two regions.” (On The Origin of Tornadoes – 2 , quoting Wunderground).
Dust Bunny Queen
@ Dredd
I don’t click on links to your blog as I consider this ‘link whoring’ when on another person’s blog. Link Whoring is very distasteful and disrespectful.
In addition your response has nothing to do with the comment that I have made and I see no reason to bring a political aspect into this by referencing Palin.
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Ignorance whoring (Agnotology Generation) is no substitute for facts and is corrupt.
I am going to agree with DBQ. I have said before that pimping out your own blog is bad form.
@ Dredd
I don’t click on links to your blog as I consider this ‘link whoring’ when on another person’s blog. Link Whoring is very distasteful and disrespectful.
In addition your response has nothing to do with the comment that I have made and I see no reason to bring a political aspect into this by referencing Palin.
How does that Tao guy have a job? You don’t need a computer simulation to figure out that is just plain stupid. Must be the same guy that thought chopping down a mountain in China to move more water to a dam would help. The “scientists” didn’t account for the all-important orographic effect the mountains provided–essentially “wringing out the clouds” as they went over. The dam there has since dried up and the area is a desert.
Duh.
slohrss29 – I think he is the same guy who decided that paving over the Sonoran Desert would cut down on dust storms in Phoenix.
Dust Bunny Queen
Tornadoes have been happening for thousands and thousands of years.
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Dr. Sarah Palin has advanced a hypothesis that Eugenics has been reborn by 98% of climatologists involved in a conspiracy.
She was backing up the co-founder of the Weather Channel who was thrown out by lawsuit before Romney’s gang purchased it (Mocking America – 4).
BTW, tornadoes are on a hiatus since the polar vortex began to decompose circa 2013.
Average number of tornadoes per decade in U.S. 1950 – 2012
1950-1959: 491
1960-1969: 694
1970-1979: 871
1980-1989: 831
1990-1999: 1228
2000-2009: 1297
2010-2012: 1350
(On The Origin of Tornadoes – 3).
Tornadoes have been happening for thousands and thousands of years. The native american indians have many myths and stories about them The Thunderbird myth is one of the most widespread and may even be representative of an actual large bird species.
Even though tornadoes are destructive….they are a natural part of the weather patterns of the earth. Just like earthquakes are a natural part of plate tectonics If people can’t handle living in an area where these things naturally occur…..then they should move. Don’t build your houses in the middle of Tornado Alley and then whine that you have tornadoes.
Move your sorry butt ….instead of screwing with nature. Deal with it.
It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature 🙂
Apparently, Chinese just love to build walls.
Nick – considering the number of deaths building the Great Wall(s) of China, I don’t think love is the operative word. 🙂
Brick and stone masons are depressed.
Don’t screw with Mother Nature!
I wouldn’t be surprised to discover Mr. Tao consulted with the State of California and our high-speed train to nowhere!
http://thefederalist.com/2014/10/22/wastebook-2014-eight-absurd-government-projects-funded-with-your-money/?utm_source=The+Federalist+List&utm_campaign=c595e59369-RSS_DAILY_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_cfcb868ceb-c595e59369-79248369