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Blayney good to hear from you.
Hey, thanks for perusing my site. I'm a marine biologist/science teacher who has lived aboard a small sailboat for over fifteen years. To survive sailors have to look out for things that can kill them,
including hurricanes. I read extensively years ago in preparation for long single-handed ocean voyages about heavy weather, hurricanes, surviving at sea, etc, and came across a discovery by a Norwegian weather guy, I think he was Norwegian, who spoke about the geometry of hurricanes. This fact marinated for a number of years, you know how that is, and while living on the Rio Dulce in Guatemala Hurricane Wilma rose in the near Caribbean with the lowest barometric pressure ever recorded in a hurricane, which really got my attention. I got to thinking how great it would be if I knew, on the event the storm came up the river, the direction of the wind so I could better arrange my anchors to save my boat. I noodled about and came up with a picture of the geometry of a hurricane and worked out how to track the storm using only the direction of the ambient wind when the storm was distant and a compass. The HURRICANE FINDER CHART was born. I then worked out a system of diagramming the storm, any hurricane, placing the user's geographic position on the chart, which by using the National Hurricane Center's forecast/ advisory one could paint a picture of the storm showing wind direction and strength at any point on the chart days before the storm's arrival. Failing to find resources for commercial development of this system in Guatemala I sailed to Isla Mujeres,, Mexico, The Island of Women, and tried to develop it in nearby Cancun, a large industrial city, and eventually sailed back to the United States to further develop and market HURRICANE FINDER, as it was then called. Later on wanting to go cruising again, not tied to a PO Box mailing out packages, I wrote THE HURRICANE SURVIVAL GUIDE that is completely down loadable from the Internet, adding some other books written over the years, CAFE NEWS and TILLER TALES to the site to share what I had been doing for a decade or so. The site was developed with a fellow cruiser, Tami Gilliam Internet genius, who I met in Mexico, after over a year of painstaking effort. The blog keeps me busy and in many of the articles I insert commercials for products, the perceived purpose of a commercial blog, I think. So, no, I am not a meteorologist, I just play one on the single side band radio. When in Mexico I acted as the weather guy on The Northwest Caribbean radio net, every morning advising cruisers from Texas to Panama. That was about two hours of work every morning, but gratifying in its' execution.
I am a student of meteorology and rely on weather experts, although years ago I taught a rudimentary weather course at New York University as a Graduate Laboratory Assistant, I started in that position as a freshmen and when I was a senior there taught in the grad school. It was a heady time.
Earth's climate seems to be changing, its' cause is still up for grabs, despite media hype to the contrary, Media likes to do that, gets listeners/readers to pay attention and buy products. Follow the green hype is also about following green paper. Money begets power, power is sought merely for itself, and according to Kissinger is the ultimate aphrodisiac. Who knew?
Earth is in the warming phase of a 1500 year climate cycle, Greenland once supported extensive agriculture, hence its' name, it may do so again. I am not convinced man's puny efforts have anything to do with it, that too is up for grabs. However, Venus has an atmosphere composed mostly of carbon dioxide and is as hot as Mercury, so CO2 certainly has a part in it. However the most prevalent greenhouse gas is water vapor, which we have plenty of. Who knows?
The global warming crowd have stated that we are in for more severe hurricanes as warm water is the fuel that keeps them going. However, meteorologists are not convinced of this because such a scenario also produces stronger upper level winds that act to shear the tops off developing hurricanes. Go figure, eh?
The result may very well be a dearth of severe storms even as more storms arise due to warmer waters in the tropics. Add to this a change in ocean currents, cold ones moving south, etc and a conundrum arises.
God made hurricanes for a purpose. If you get a chance read CHICKEN SOUP AND HURRICANES on my site for their useful purpose. Hurricanes perform a service to a heat stagnant/fresh water starved planet. Go figure. Ay? That's a Canadian eh.
So far this year we've had few storms, all happening this week. Their passage has removed some of the fuel, heat arsenal, and we may have to wait for more to form. The greater number of hurricanes occur in the middle of September. We'll have to wait and see.
Meanwhile I know exactly where I will take NEREIS and I if one comes calling here in coastal Cape Coral, Florida.
My goodness you opened a floodgate. Thanks for listening, I hope it wasn't boring..
THAT'S THAT FOR THIS. TAKE CARE, JB |
John's Musings, Food For Thought
Food For Thought
John's Musings
MYANMAR'S CYCLONE NARGIS REVISITED
This pic on the left is tropical cyclone NARGIS as it devastated Myanmar about a year ago. I wrote about this in a previous blog entry mentioning that when I was a kid during the Second World War this part of Asia was called Burma. Remember the BURMA DEATH MARCH? I imagine the lowlands today are much like they were then, shown in the center pic. Progress is slow in third-world countries.
One of the great innovations of the advent of HDTV, which I receive with a small disk antenna on NEREIS, my sailboat home for over a decade and a half, is that there are four versions of Public Television available twenty-four hours a day. Not so for the children pictured above on the right who look remarkably like two featured in a program shown this weekend. They were part of a family of three consisting of the male leader, ten-years old, his seven-year old sister and toddler brother, perhaps two-years old. Their parents were drowned during the cyclone and these three live alone together in a shack near the water. Their home was pictured as the one above with holes for insect intrusion in the primitive stick house.
The pic on the left shows what they see from the mud street in front of their only protection from the elements, much like the picture on the right. The middle picture is probably occupied by a family headed by adults and is similar to those I once putted by in my launcha in a tributary of the Rio Dulce in Guatemala. I wrote about that area and you can see pictures of those abodes in TILLER TALES in the chapter titled RIO DULCE DICHOTOMY. You can read excerpts elsewhere on this site.
. 
Their mother was cooking a meal for them when disaster struck, food brought from the proceeds from her occupation as water bearer. She was paid to bring water to others. This was her job! A different world from one many of us are used to. The pic above on the right is a water purification system used today to supply water to these hapless children who are living now, just as yours do in a far different environment, I imagine. I doubt there are many computers in this part of Myanmar. The pic on the left shows an aerial view of their community. The center pic shows a still devastated shoreline from which small boats put out to catch fish and other denizens of the shallow lagoon, such as crabs.
This pic depicts a visit from the leaders of Myanmar, the ruling junta, military men, who are well fed and probably have access to the Internet. In the documentary I saw last Saturday they were seen explaining to the cries of hunger and despair in the aftermath of Nargis that they were just visiting and would see about helping them later. As it happens much later. Actually little or no help has been offered. In fact these uniformed "leaders" refused much of the world's offers of food and water and confiscated much of what they did accept for monetary gain.
I saw lots of poverty in the third world nations I've visited in my travels around the Caribbean, single-handing NEREIS. I remember sailing from Cuba to Marathon in the Florida Keys in 1996. The day after arrival I walked up to one of the supermarkets in that sleepy village and stood transfixed at the largess strewn before me. In Cuba, even the Dollar Stores, those catering to foreigners who had dollars, little of the World's goods were available. The peso stores had mostly empty board shelves. There was perhaps some straggly produce and maybe an unrefrigerated chicken or two, hanging for those lucky enough to find. I had tears in my eyes viewing the multicolored wonders in that store in Marathon. Not much has changed in the decade passed in Cuba and apparently Myanmar. Progress is slow for the downtrodden in third-world countries, and most are downtrodden. Third-World rich are reluctant to allow a middle class to develop, I guess in fear of sharing the wealth.
THE POINT OF THIS ESSAY
Well, last Saturday watching the documentary about Myanmar one year later after Cyclone Nargis ,the well-fed camera team interviewed the little family of three headed by a ten-year old boy with his sister and little brother. They were asked about their life and what has happened since they've lost their parents. These are the last questions and answers I heard before switching channels in an inability to continue watching through near sobs were as follows.
The family leader, ten-years old, was asked, "What do you want to be?" He replied, now this was via an interpreter. (I wonder if they speak Burmese in Myanmar.) He said, "I want to catch crabs."
Not I want to be a fireman or policeman or doctor or lawyer, none of that. I guess this was a natural reply as there were none of these in his life to admire and his role models were indeed fisherman and crab-catchers. Then I heard what his seven-year old sister said.
She said, "Then I'll cook the crabs for the boy." Referring to her toddler brother who with her ten-year old brother she was raising. This is the life they envisioned for the future. This was to be their adult existence. I couldn't watch any more, it was just too much heartbreak.
What kind of world is this that children are raising children and aspire only to be crab-catchers and crab-cookers in order to feed their child/toddler/brother?
This is not a plea for support for these three living in the same world as your children, Myanmar military "men" would not accept it or perhaps steal it for themselves. No, this is just a tale of what reality is for many in a World of relative plenty, for those privileged to have it.
NOW THE MORAL.
Could this happen in the United States? Ask those folks living in New Orleans still reeling from Hurricane Katrina. Still reeling! Disasters can return all of us back to a Stone Age in almost an instant. In some future time you too may aspire to crab catching as your only possible occupation. Don't scoff. Civilization's veneer is thinner than any of us can imagine. Water bearer for the community in good times. What happens in bad times?
How can you save your family from disaster? Look elsewhere on this site for tips on hurricane preparedness and think about down loading the HURRICANE SURVIVAL GUIDE .
THATS THAT FOR THIS.
TAKE CARE,
JB
ARE YOU A METEOROLIGIST?
THE FIERY INFERNO
The above picture has noting to do with the following but is a great attention grabber and your attention is what I seek. I also think it's a great pic.
I receive and avidly read the writings of Blaney Colmore, a retired preacher, who always makes me smile and think, mostly think. Thinking is a good thing, I think, therefore I am. I'm just rambling here go on to the next paragraph.
Blaney's latest writing appears in part below. For the rest of it Google his name.
Easy Exit
Notes From Zone 4
Occasional Writing From Blayney Colmore
William Porcher DuBose August 18, 2009
In his Natural History of Religion, David Hume speaks of a Turkish prisoner under questioning, who had converted to Christianity: How many gods are there? he was asked. To which he replied: None at all… You have told me all along there is but one God: and yesterday I ate him.
********
I recently wrote to Rev Colmore telling him how much I enjoyed his writings and asked him to look at this site as some of my entries deal with things other than weather, and are also think pieces, I think. He graciously did and here's what he wrote back.
From: Blayney Colmore
Subject: Re: Blayney's Notes/Easy Exit
To: "John Buchanan" Date: Tuesday, August 18, 2009, 2:48 PM
Wow, John, that’s a very impressive web site!
Forgive me for asking a question I perhaps have been given the answer to: are you a meteorologist?
And what are your thoughts about this year’s hurricane season?
Blayney
In answer to his query as to my credentials regarding weather and hurricanes in general I replied with the following. This is how I came to this point in my life.
HOW BIILL GATES PLANS TO STOP HURRICANE FORMATION
This is Bill Gates, billionaire owner of Microsoft. His work makes it possible for the existence of this site. Who could not admire, almost revere, this extraordinary man.
Here he is being knighted by Queen Elizabeth. His work has truly changed the world.
Here is a younger Bill Gates when he first came on to the computer horizon. A playful Gates, unburdened by billions of dollars. A burden indeed. What do you do with the power to change the world?
A college-age Bill Gates in an embarrassing position. He doesn't seem fazed by the experience here but perhaps there was a different expression the next morning.
WHAT IS BILL GATES DOING NOW?
Earlier this week news agencies reported that Mr. Gates, perhaps bored or maybe emboldened by his extraordinary accomplishments, imbued by an almost God-like power, aided by immense amounts of money, has obtained patents for a process to stop formation of hurricanes.
The picture above describes sea-surface temperature measurements following the passage of a hurricane along the east coast of the United States. The blue color indicates a swath of cooler water brought up by the passing of Hurricane Bonnie. The cool water appeared to weaken another hurricane following in its' wake, hindering its' development.
This phenomenon got some folks thinking of how to stop the formation of future hurricanes as shown in the picture above. In short, fueled by huge amounts of money and perhaps ego Mr. Gates, et al, propose anchoring a number of barges in the Gulf of Mexico containing devices that would siphon cool deep water to the surface, mimicking the phenomenon shown by the passage of hurricane Bonnie. The result would be similar to removing most of the gas stations along an interstate highway, thus stopping the passage of cars. No fuel, no movement.
IS THIS A GOOD IDEA?
On surface it may appear to be. By removing the threat of coast wise damage by approaching storms, insurance rates would go down, people would be less disturbed, Bill Gates would be even more revered. This scheme is similar perhaps to a video game on a grand scale. Should we differentiate between games and real life?
BILL GATES IS A GAMER
But what would happen in the wake of this massive temperature change in the Gulf? Would weather patterns be altered, along with hurricanes? Would rainfall along the Gulf Coast be altered, diminished? Are hurricanes all bad? Do hurricanes perform a useful function?
Well yes, read on.
CHICKEN SOUP AND HURRICANES
L
Life can exist on Earth because it has a temperature range suitable for its development. Parts of Nature’s ingenious plan to provide this ideal mix include: an appropriate distance from the Sun, Earth’s rotation, a tilt of the Earth’s axis creating the seasons, and tropical cyclones, called hurricanes in the North Atlantic Ocean.Water can exist as liquid or gas. Transforming water to its’ gaseous form (vaporization) requires large amounts of heat from it’s’ surroundings. When water vapor shifts back to rainwater (condensation) that heat-energy is released.
Hurricanes move immense amounts of heat-energy from tropical waters to cool temperate zones through these physical changes and also convert salt water to drinkable rainwater for a thirsty world. These storms can cause great damage but pay for their keep by stirring the atmospheric soup.Hurricanes originate as tropical waves pouring off African deserts; a new one appears about every three days in the height of the hurricane season. They become tropical depressions when the mass of hot-moist air shaped like a three hundred-mile long fat cigar, squashed as if stepped on, begins rotating in a counterclockwise direction, often in mid-ocean but anywhere favorable conditions occur. Opposing winds in the migrating Inter Tropic Convergence Zone (ITCZ) begin turning it, aided by the Coriolis Effect. As the growing storm rotates it draws water vapor from an ocean whose temperature must be at least 79-degrees Fahrenheit and becomes self-sustaining. When winds reach 40-miles per hour (34-knots) the tropical depression becomes a tropical storm and grows into a hurricane when they reach 75-miles per hour (64 knots.)
To learn more start with those italicized concepts above. Do you have a different view of hurricanes now? Perhaps not if you live in a hurricane zone but without them life might not thrive on Earth as it does now.
Don't mess with Mother Nature. If momma ain't happy, nobody happy.
That's that for this.
TAKE CARE,
JB
WEATHER CENTERS AROUND THE WORLD
I
In keeping with http://www.globalweathersolutions.com/ we bring you GLOBAL WEATHER SITES. Click on any of the tropical cyclone centers below to see how the other half lives. The first one, http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ , is the national hurricane center which chronicles tropical weather for North America. The graphic above is from that site.
The HURRICANE SURVIVAL GUIDE advertised elsewhere on these pages can be used to track a tropical cyclone's eye without the use of electronics on the HURRICANE FINDER CHART which is also used to paint a picture of the storm showing strength and direction of winds, at your front door, days before it arrives using data from any of the sites mentioned below.
The Guide is a tool than can be used globally, which may save your property and the lives of your family when electronics fail.
Tropical Cyclone Centers Worldwide
National Hurricane Center
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/Severe Weather Information Centre World Meteorological Organization
http://severe.worldweather.org
Japan Meteorological Agency
www.jma.go.jp/jma/indexe.html
Fiji Meteorological Service
http://www.metservice.co.nz/default/index.php
New Zealand Meteorological
http://www.metservice.co.nz/default/index.php
Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.imd.gov.in/
India Meteorological Department
http://www.imd.gov.in/
Meteo France
http://www.meteo.fr/temps/domtom/La_Reunion/
Canadian Hurricane Centre
http://www.atl.ec.gc.ca/weather/hurricane
OFFSHORE BAHA CALIFORNIA
This pic was sent to me this spring from Gary and Terry who had just transited the Panama Canal on their way to San Diego, California. They have been mentioned several times in these pages regarding their adventures in the Caribbean. I first met them on the SSB radio as they fought their way to Isla Mujeres, Mexico after engine and sail failure. I wrote CAFE NEWS in Isla, excerpts of which can be found elsewhere on this site. Cruisers call Isla Mujeres just Isla and the Rio Dulce in Guatemalla the Rio. When you hear this shorthand from someone you know they've been there.
They were several hundred miles offshore in winds of about 50 mph. This is what the sea looks like in such conditions. While a picture may be worth a thousand words nothing can protray what it's like until you've been there. I miss it and am planning to go back south into the Caribbean in the fall. I'll let you know what I find.
DOLPHINS IN THE PACIFIC OFF BAHA
Dolphins are a happy sight offshore. I once saw several hundred of these grinning beasts in the central Gulf of Mexico as the sun was setting. They all leaped at the same time perhaps to get a better view of the lone voyager who came all the way out there to amuse them. I wrote about dolphins in TILLER TALES, excerpts can be found elsewhere on this site. Have a look.
That's that for this.
TAKE CARE,
JB
HOW TO DETERMINE THE DIRECTION OF THE HURRICANE'S EYE FROM WIND DIRECTION
I keep track of those who log on to www.globalweathersolutions.com with Traffic Facts supplied by www.godaddy.com, my hosting enterprise. Along with statistics relating to numbers of people logging on are the words they use on their search engine to find my site. One of the people who logged on wrote, "Which direction does the wind blow during a hurricane?"
I logged on to the user's url and brought up a question and answer site with the respondent's answer, which is repeated below. He or she stated they could determine the direction of a hurricane's eye from the way palm fronds pointed, that is since a hurricane's winds spiral inward toward its' eye (see image of a hurricane off the Florida peninsula above) the fronds point directly at the eye. See image of palms blowing in a hurricane's winds above. My answer to the question follows the respondent's entry.
The winds spiral around the eye and do move toward the center of the storm but at any one point in its' geometry those winds are at a right angle to the direction of the eye. Therefore the eye can be found by facing the wind and measuring 90 degrees to the right.
Log on to www.globalweathersolutions.com and look at the HURRICANE SURVIVAL GUIDE, which not only can find the eye, track the eye, without any help from electronics, TV or radio, and using detailed reports from the National Hurricane Center paint a picture of the storm on the HURRICANE FINDER CHART showing the direction and strength of the wind days before the arrival of the storm at any place within the geometry of the hurricane. Your front door for instance. This text book relates to everything hurricanes, history of latitude and longitude, finding distance and direction of the storm, and includes the unique HURRICANE FINDER CHART on which you can track the storm and place your location within its' geometry showing the effects of the strength and direction of its' winds.The HURRICANE SURVIVAL GUIDE and its' accompanying
HURRICANE FINDER CHART may save your life and property when electronics fail.
RESPONDENT'S ENTRY
What direction does the wind blow during a hurricane?
[Edit]
Having observed the winds through hurricanes Francis and Jeanne, which hit about 60 miles North of me and Wilma, where the eye passed over my home and tropical storm Fay, I have learned that I can judge the relative position of the storm - at least the direction of it with respect to my location. My observations are that the prevailing winds blow towards the center of the storm. I watch which way the palm fronds are pointed and if the storm is close enough to see on weather radar, the palm fronds are always pointed towards the storm.
Note that I said the prevailing winds. Gusts can come from many directions.
MY ANSWER
THE OBSERVATION ABOVE IS INCORRECT.Winds in a hurricane, tropical storm, cyclone, any cyclonic storm in the northern hemisphere blow in a counterclockwise direction around the eye, the center of the storm. South of the equator they blow clockwise, all this due to the Coriolis Effect.
To find the eye of an approaching hurricane, when you are experiencing its winds, the eye will be 90 degrees to the right of the prevailing wind. See the HURRICANE SURVIVAL GUIDE on www.globalweathersolutions.com or Google John's Musings Bermuda Meet Bertha Four Days From Now. Using the HURRICANE FINDER CHART, included with the guide, you can track the eye of the storm and paint a picture of the storm at your front door days in advance using information from The National Hurricane Center.
I also experienced Fay on the Caloosahatchee Waterway on my boat NEREIS, and you can read about it on John's Musings. Just Google John's Musing, Dancing With Fay.
Thank you for your indulgence.
That's that for this
Take care,
JB
PREDICTING STORM SURGE WITH THE HURRICANE SURVIVAL GUIDE
Below is a storm surge map of the Cape Coral/Fort Myers, Florida area published today in The News-Press, the local paper I read every morning primarily for The New York Times crossword puzzle which I do for mental prowess. Prowess seems to be ok so it must be working. I'll let you be the judge.
The storm surge map shows areas which should be evacuated in various hurricane storm strengths. The map came from the Southwest Florida Evacuation Behavior Study whose link follows below.
Certainly while hurricane winds should be feared it is storm surge, (flooding caused by winds blowing toward the shore.) Onshore winds push water up estuaries and over low lying topography. Storm surge does more damage than wind and causes the most hurricane related deaths. (See additional entries on these subjects on John's Musings.) Flood damage is a separate issue for insurance companies and the prudent home-business owner must purchase separate policies.
However how do you predict storm surge? Using the HURRICANE SURVIVAL GUIDE, found elsewhere on this site, you can track the storm, without any help from media, TV, the National Hurricane Center, etc, using only a compass and your senses. Additionally you can paint a picture of the hurricane on the HURRICANE FINDER CHART showing wind direction and strength in your area days before the storm arrives. Days before it arrives. This gives you time to decide how to protect your family, home, business, boat, etc days before the storm arrives.Download the HURRICANE SURVIVAL GUIDE and save your stuff.
STORM SURGE EVACUATION MAPClick on the link below for the Storm Surge Evacuation Study.
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?template=zoom&Site=A4&Date=20090624&Category=WEATHER01&ArtNo=90623083&Ref=AR
HURRICANE SURVIVAL GUIDE
MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE WHEN
ELECTRONICS FAIL.
That's that for this.
Take care,
JB
HOW FAR AWAY IS IT?
Every morning during the hurricane season I check THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER/TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER. The image above is from September 2, 2008. It was an active morning. You can see where danger is but how far away is it from from your front door?
Scroll down from the image on the NHC site and you will come to a lat/long distance calculator. To go to the Latitude/Longitude Distance Calculator click here ->
Lat/Lon Distance Calculator
Latitude/Longitude Distance
Calculator
Lat/Lon Distance Calculator
adapted from the Great Circle Calculator
written by Ed Williams
Enter your latitude and longitude, easily obtained from GOOGLE EARTH and the latitude and longitude of the storm to find the distance between danger and your home, business or boat. Isn't technology grand?
But what are you going to do when your TV, Weather Radio, everything else fails when technology stops working? If you have the HURRICANE SURVIVAL GUIDE, advertised elsewhere on this site have no fear. This comprehensive text book not only teaches you how to determine distance on your own picture of the storm drawn by you on the HURRICANE FINDER CHART showing where your site of interest is located but will also indicate direction of the wind and its' strength days before arrival of the storm.
Remember technology always fails just when you need it most. Download the HURRICANE SURVIVAL GUIDE and use it to save the lives of your family and property.
Knowledge is power. Get some power today.
That's that for this.
Take care,
JB
SALTY RAIN
THE SUN
WEATHER MAKER
Someone Googled, "Why don't hurricanes produce salt rainwater?" There are many hurricane related keywords on this site and the question brought them to www.globalweathersolutions.com . I fear the answer to their query was not found in the large amount of information on hurricanes and related subjects here so in the interest of full disclosure I humbly
submit this answer.
Rain is produced when liquid water on Earth's surface evaporates due to insolation (heat energy from the sun.) The water may be any variety, fresh non-salty pond water, very salty seawater or even polluted water from some landfill. Heat from the sun is absorbed by objects on earth (insolation.) When heat is added to liquids their molecules move more rapidly. You can see this when waiting for a pot of water to boil. The molecules eventually gain enough energy to escape their weak molecular attraction to their mates in the volume of liquid water and in this case rise as steam.
Caution do not watch the pot directly or it will never boil.
Gotcha! Remember that old homily, "A watched pot never boils." Surely you remember that. Yes you do you just don't want to admit it, and please don't call me Shirley.
Enough of this drivel. Steam rising from your non-watched pot is water vapor, a gas. Remember water can exist as a solid (ice), liquid (water) or gas (water vapor.) Water vapor consists only of H2O molecules. Sun's heat energy does the same thing as the flame under the boiling pot of water, but with less vigor to bodies of water on Earth. When saltwater evaporates the salt and everything else in the water remains behind and only water molecules ascend into the atmosphere.
These water molecules are moving rapidly and rise above the earth's surface. Temperature usually decreases with altitude, that is it gets colder the higher you go up into the atmosphere. These water vapor molecules, individual H2Os begin to slow down as they rise, loosing energy, and eventually electric forces within allow them to reconnect to one another and form tiny droplets of pure water. Eventually the droplets grow in size and fall as rain, consisting only of water molecules. This rain may sweep up various things in the atmosphere on their way down like soot, and close to a breaking ocean wave perhaps even salt , but the process of rain production involves only H2O molecules.
Salt can not exist as a gas, it is a solid and while heat makes their molecules of NaCl (sodium chloride) move faster they do not rise into the atmosphere.
And that's an answer to your question. I'm sure there are those among you who could write a better explanation and I invite you to do so in the comment section following this article.
That's that for this.
FRANNIE THE WATCHFLAMINGO
ALWAYS WATCHING OUT FOR YOU
TAKE CARE,
JB
THE WAITING GAME
There has been some change in the Atlantic Basin since my last entry but there are still four, that's four, systems operating.
However the one thing that has not changed is a waterlogged Florida still sticking out like a sore thumb in the path of danger, soon to resemble a prune-like four-year old who's spent too much time in the wading pool. What's a prudent mariner to do?
For now it's a waiting game and unfortunately there's no grinning hair-challenged MC offering suitcases filled with cash for our choosing. This is a real reality show and the audience is not cheering on the contestants. We be the contestants as well as audience. Its up to the vagaries of our beloved mother, Mother Nature that is, to decide our individual roles.
ATLANTIC BASIN SEPTEMBER 4, 2008
There's Gustav still wreaking wet-havoc in America's lower mid west bringing more flooding to a landscape which may be completely washed away at the end of this hurricane season. When is this going to end? What's a prudent mariner to do?
Well I'm glad you asked. Look at HURRICANE SURVIVAL GUIDE and advice given on the HURRICANE PAGES of this site. Who knows, when you have become your neighborhood's hurricane guru you may be called a hurricane whisperer too. Not a bad title and knowledge does give solace, and power also. I'm sure about solace but still waiting for the power part of that homily.
TROPICAL STORM HANNA
SEPTEMBER 4, 2008
Heeeeeer's Hanna. Briefly a hurricane and forecasted to become a category one storm before brushing southern coastal states and skirting the entire eastern seaboard, spreading her southern-charm.
The hot Atlantic basin is ridding itself of heat , moving it northward with needed fresh water from the skies for a thirsty planet, stirring the atmospheric soup. Yes hurricanes do serve a useful purpose. Read CHICKEN SOUP AND HURRICANES on the HURRICANE PAGES of this site for more.
HURRICANE IKE
SEPTEMBER 4, 2008
As of this morning, September 4, 2008, Ike is now a category four storm. You can see by its forecasted track that its up to no good. This is the one that may be remembered folks. The Bermuda High is either our savior or nemesis in this equation. It may steer Ike into the Florida Straits and onward to beleaguered southern Gulf states or directly into Miami and across Florida or up the eastern seaboard or out to sea in a northeast direction. What's a prudent mariner to do?
If you think knowledge of this storm's movement, specifics on forecasted wind direction and strength at your front door could help in the coming days download HURRICANE SURVIVAL GUIDE. Come on, you know you want to. Remember solace is guaranteed and you may gain some power in the knowledge gained. Become a hurricane whisperer.
TROPICAL STORM JOSEPHINE
SEPTEMBER 4, 2008
And here's Tropical Storm Josephine which seems to be destined for the Coriolis dance, arcing the Atlantic only to bring a tropical deluge to the palm trees of Ireland. Not sure what the Coriolis dance is. You can find out in HURRICANE SURVIVAL GUIDE. Come on. You know you want to.
POLITICAL ASIDE
I learned last night that the difference between a HOCKEY MOM and a PIT BULL is lipstick. I wonder if the reverse is true. Imagine your friendly grinning neighborhood red-lipsticked pit bull driving down some suburban street in a van filled with puppies clutching hockey sticks. Interesting scenario. Ay? By the way ay is a Canadian eh. See all the things you can learn on this site. We aim to serve in all ways.
THAT'S THAT FOR THIS.
FRANNIE THE WATCHFLAMINGO
ALWAYS WATCHING OUT FOR YOU
TAKE CARE,
JB
ATLANTIC BASIN SEPTEMBER 1, 2008
TROPICAL WEATHER ATLANTIC BASIN
SEPTEMBER 1, 2008
This is a graphic from The National Hurricane Center showing activity in the Atlantic Basin on Monday morning September 1, 2008, Labor Day in the United States. Is this not an image to strike fear in the heart of a prudent mariner?
There's Hurricane Gustav which as we speak is crashing with fury on the Louisiana coast about fifty miles west of the embattled city of New Orleans. After today it may literally be a new New Orleans, perhaps unrecognizable
in the memories of its fleeing residents. What's a prudent mariner to do?
Then Tropical Storm Hanna lurking with ill intent ready to eat the Bahamas just to the east of the Florida peninsula. The circles out in the central and east Atlantic are tropical waves whose intensity and propensity to develop further is indicated by the color scheme explained on the bottom of the graphic. What's a prudent mariner to do?
I believe ground zero of HURICANE GUSTAV is at Morgan City a place I have fond memories of from a long-ago journey from Texas to Florida when I began this trek on NEREIS almost fifteen years ago. The first time I heard Cajun-Speak, the charming accent of those who have lived for generations in this historic landscape full of the cries of mating alligators. Well not full of but I remember hearing their out worldly bellows in the dead of night when anchored in an isolated mangrove surrounded creek off the intra coastal waterway leading to the Mississippi River. And the fears experienced when traversing through the enormous Industrial Lock from the Intra Costal Waterway to the mighty river still linger in those fond memories. There are locks on both sides of the river that allow a downriver jaunt to the other side as the ferocious current would sweep a small boat downstream, out of reach of sanctuary, and eventually out into the Gulf of Mexico. Perhaps its topography is being rewritten even now as we speak.
What's a prudent mariner to do?
HURRICANE GUSTAV
SEPTEMBER 1, 2008
When you click on the icons in the first graphic above you get specifics of each threat. This is Hurricane Gustav as of 6AM Central Time already pounding the coastline. This is certainly a tragic time for residents of this historic region filled with the accents of America's past, however there is a reason for all things. Read CHICKEN SOUP AND HURRICANES on the HURRICANE PAGE of this site for our beloved mother's slant on beneficial aspects of these magnificent storms. That's Mother Nature I'm referring to.
TROPICAL STORM HANNA
SEPTEMBER 1, 2008
And in the Atlantic lurking near the Bahamas is yet another threat to more hapless inhabitants of our embattled planet, poised to wreak havoc as we mere humans attempt to survive Nature's onslaught.
What's a prudent mariner to do?
Well I'm glad you asked. Take a look at HURRICANE SURVIVAL GUIDE found elsewhere on this site. There are things we can do to protect the lives of our families and property. Take a look. You know you want to.
That's that for this.
FRANNIE THE WATCHFLAMINGO
WATCHING OUT FOR ALL OF US
TAKE CARE,
JB