Academia, Environment, Religion, Science

New Research Purports To Blow Away The Great Wall of The Midwest Theory

300px-F5_tornado_Elie_Manitoba_2007tao-greyThere 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.

10387260_10203929422858723_6379841447510561123_nCoffer (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

75 thoughts on “New Research Purports To Blow Away The Great Wall of The Midwest Theory”

  1. jonathanturley

    Dredd, you have had additional comments removed from different threads under the civility rule.
    ===============
    Come again?

  3. Dredd, you have had additional comments removed from different threads under the civility rule.

  9. Well, I have another Irish Poem in me that is screaming to get out!

    Mortarfied???
    An Irish Poem by Squeeky Fromm

    Some guy wanted to build a wall
    And make it a thousand feet tall!
    But just where perplexes. . .
    Sooo, let’s make it Texas—
    On the Mexican border, ya’ll!

    Squeeky Fromm
    Girl Reporter

  12. Paul C. Schulte

    We know that the US has 75% of the world’s tornadoes because? I have a lot of trouble with a blanket statement
    =================================
    Because we don’t suck our thumbs (Thumb Sucking For Power And Pleasure), we do science instead:

    The United States experiences approximately 75 percent of the world’s known tornadoes and thus is notorious for its tornado climatology in terms of frequency, intensity, and destructive outbreak events. While it is appropriate to focus on tornadoes across the United States, it is important to recognize that tornadoes also happen in other countries of the world.

    This article investigates where many of the other 25 percent of the world’s tornadoes occur, with a specific emphasis on our North American neighbors of Canada and Mexico. How do other countries match up against the United States when it comes to tornado climatology? You’re about to find out. (Hint: The U.S. is the uncontested heavy weight champion of the world.)

    (Tornadoes around the world).

    You, plural, have a lot of trouble with any science as you have said over and over, but thumb sucking be cool.

    1. Dredd – I have trouble with any “science” that comes from you. For instance, how do you know that tornadoes are not under reported in other parts of the world?

  13. Annie

    Not nice calling Dredd a ho.
    ====================
    Especially this close to Christmas. I would prefer Ho Ho HO!

    Perhaps they will take knickers’ advice and practice ignore ance … which we all prefer and which would not inconvenience them because that is what they do.

    Anyway, I am working on the next post in that Tornado series.

    It is based on a hypothesis that the ancient polar vortex (northern hemisphere) is decomposing.

    As it decomposes “pieces” of it spin off like petals on a flower and travel south as huge cold areas or fronts.

    This happened last winter in the U.S., and in some of Europe.

    This kills of tornado birthing dynamics, so the birth rate of tornadoes goes way down.

    I will give you a preview of the post:

    We know that the US has ~75% of world’s tornadoes.

    The other ~25% of tornadoes take place in Canada, Mexico, Europe, Bangladesh, Australia, Argentina, and South Africa.

    It is delayed because I am having a hard time collecting data from the countries around the world that make up the other ~25 percent because they are not as meticulous about collecting data as we are (for the years 2012-2014).

    What will strengthen or weaken the hypothesis is whether or not those countries in the southern hemisphere have generally continued with the annual amount of tornadoes, or perhaps have suffered increased tornado counts.

    In other words, the northern polar vortex affects the northern hemisphere, so if both hemispheres have had a decrease in tornadoes, then that hypothesis is not going anywhere.

    1. We know that the US has 75% of the world’s tornadoes because? I have a lot of trouble with a blanket statement

  14. My leaf blower is supposed to create wind at speeds of over 200mph. I went out and fought superstorm Sandy as the center of the low passed over my house. Glad to report I had little damage, so my leaf blower must have done the job. Please hire me at $375 an hour for a plan to eliminate your weather woes.

  15. I’m waiting for the non-science politicians chiming in calling for a debate while proclaiming they’re not a scientist therefore they can’t listen to real scientists on the matter of science.

    It’s like they should be calling for a debate on God, because, after all, they aren’t ministers…

  19. Ha, I changed might to “will”. I have that much confidence in Dredd, lol! For those with ears to hear and eyes to see…

  20. Linking to a blog that won’t teach you a thing might be annoying. Dredd’s blog will might actually make you smarter after you read it a few times. But oh well to each their own. As for me I suggest clicking on those links of Dredd’s for your own edification.

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