Hurricanes: The Art, the Science, and the In-between

This blog takes a look at both the science of hurricanes and their artistic interpretations. Beyond just informing, this blog is intended to explain to viewers my personal process for finding the common ground between two seemingly opposite subjects, art and science. This blog also explores some of the disastrous effects of hurricanes and the potential effects global climate change might have on the frequency and location of these natural disasters. I have created my own artistic interpretation to share and offer another way to understand the complexity of hurricanes and their formation.

“Hurricanes are the largest, fiercest storms our atmosphere is capable of producing” -History. Science of a Hurricane

A Perfect Storm: The Science of Hurricanes

The word “hurricane” usually calls to mind the names “Sandy” and “Katrina” along with news footage depicting palm trees blowing furiously, streets flooding, and homes being destroyed. However, before the mass destruction, a small series of atmospheric disturbances combine with favorable oceanic conditions to form these huge natural disasters. Not many people are familiar with the actual formation of hurricanes as much as they are familiar with the meteorological images of large swirling cyclones visible from space. It’s time to explain the science behind these natural phenomena.

The Birth of Hurricanes

The birth of a hurricane all begins with warm water and sufficient moisture in the atmosphere. The ocean water evaporates creating warm clouds of air. That warm air rises in the air and air will begin to move inward and up to replace the rising air. The air moving inward and up will also be heated by the warm ocean water. Thunderstorms are formed as long as the warm clouds of air are in a low pressure area of the atmosphere. The rotation of the Earth assists in the rotation of the air and thunderstorms. Sometimes a disturbance will come from the East (when the hurricane occurs in the Northern Atlantic and Eastern Pacific oceans) through what is known as the African Easterly Wave. This wave/disturbance can be caused by something as simple as a little girl kicking up sand. This small action becomes a larger gust of dry, hot Sahara desert air that comes in contact with the cooler, wetter air of the New Guinea coast. That gust will travel out to the middle of the warm ocean, where the hurricane is beginning to form from evaporation and rotating thunder clouds. That gust of wind will carry the tropical cyclone across the ocean. As the cyclone continues to rotate over warm water, it will grow stronger until  it becomes a hurricane (Teacher Tech.). Seems easy enough for a hurricane to form, right? Actually, there’s a lot that can go wrong with the birth of hurricane. So although the technology for tracking hurricanes is better now than it ever has been before, it’s still difficult for scientists to predict hurricanes, without just the right combination of events and conditions, a hurricane may not form.

 

KEY TERMS

Birth/Genesis: “The early development of a tropical cyclone” (University of Rhode Island).

Meteorology:  “The branch of science concerned with the processes and phenomena of the atmosphere, especially as a means of forecasting the weather” (Oxford Dictionaries).

Decay [of a hurricane]: the death or decline of a hurricane and its forces

 

National Center for Atmospheric Research, and University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. “The Life and Times of Hurricanes.” Hurricanes, Typhoons, Cyclones.

 

(BBC Worldwide. How a Hurricane Is Born- the Science of Superstorms- BBC. youtube.com.)

 

The Decay of Hurricanes

A lot can go wrong during the birth of a hurricane. For example,  if the air in the atmosphere gets too dry or the ocean water drops below a toasty 80 degrees Fahrenheit, a hurricane will decay before it even becomes a hurricane. If there is a change in the wind’s velocity– a change in wind direction or speed with height– that can throw the entire cyclone. A hurricane will also begin to decay as soon as it hits land (also known as landfall). Hurricanes need water to retain their energy and strength. The glossary definition of the word “landfall” on the site Hurricanes: Science and Society, explains, “Because the strongest winds in a tropical cyclone are not located precisely at the center, it is possible for the strongest winds in a cyclone to be experienced over land even if landfall does not occur. Similarly, it is possible for a tropical cyclone to make landfall and have its strongest winds remain over the water” (University of Rhode Island, NOAA-NHC). So although a hurricane will decay soon after it comes in contact with land, it can still cause a lot of damage before and after it fully decays. Some of the effects of hurricanes will be explained later on in the blog.

KEY TERMS

Landfall: “The intersection of the surface center of a tropical cyclone with a coastline” (University of Rhode Island; NOAA-NHC).

The Art of Hurricanes

The artist I chose to focus on for this project is Georgie Friedman. Georgie Freedman is an American artist. Her focus is on nature and natural phenomenon. Friedman uses video and photography to display mild to severe atmospheric and oceanic conditions. She uses video, sound and lighting to project the images and recordings of the phenomena onto ceilings, buildings, and her handmade structures (Georgie Friedman).

 

Friedman began her art in response to Hurricane Katrina. Having lived in New Orleans herself, she knew people and communities affected by the hurricane. Although socially motivated, Friedman’s work depicts the natural and scientific aspect of natural disasters. Friedman was largely captivated by the idea that hurricanes, and many natural phenomena, cannot be controlled yet, they are made up of small occurrences (Evans).With her large sculptures and projections, Friedman’s exhibits are designed to create contemplative experiences for her audience and give them the same feeling of awe and wonder that she finds in nature (Georgie Friedman). Friedman also considers the control we as humans have over the level of destruction natural disasters are able to have. In an interview with the writers of an art blog, “Temporary Land Bridge”, Friedman states, “But humans are not innocents in all this. We need to acknowledge how and where our cities have been built, how we have changed or deteriorated the land and air around us, makes us more susceptible” (Evans). This leads into the larger questions the blog addresses: the effects of hurricanes on man-made societies and natural environments, as well as the dangers of global climate change on hurricanes in the future.

“these storms are simply clouds and water particles and wind mixed with some atmospheric or geological pressures and temperatures. They don’t mean to wreck people’s lives, they are just doing what they do, blowing from here to there, raining havoc on us all.” -Georgie Friedman

 

The Effects of Hurricanes

As fascinating and beautiful as their origins and artistic depictions can be, hurricanes are huge destructive forces that can cause a lot of damage. Not only do hurricanes damage cities and communities, but ecosystems on land and in the ocean can be destroyed. The forces that are intensified by hurricanes such as heavy rains and strong winds are usually the source of death and destruction following a hurricane.

Hurricane Effects on Human Developments

The most destructive forces from hurricanes on human developments are usually heavy rainfall and winds. Heavy rainfall can lead to flooding. Depending on the terrain and soil saturation of an area, flooding can occur more rapidly and cause more damage (Teacher Tech). For example, Hurricane Katrina caused severe flooding in New Orleans, Louisiana. Most of the city is below sea level and surrounded by water. Despite the city’s levees and drainage systems, water managed to seep through the soil and flood the city (History). Heavy rains also cause landslides and river and stream flooding (contributing to longer-lasting floods even after the storm decays) (University of Rhode Island). Most casualties following a hurricane are the result of flooding.

 

Another destructive force that occurs when a hurricane reaches landfall are the strong winds. Hurricane winds can destroy buildings, uproot trees, and send debris and broken material flying at terrifying speeds. Wind speed will usually decrease after twelve hours of a hurricane reaching landfall, but significant damage can be done before then. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo hit Charlotte, North Carolina with winds reaching 100 miles per hour (University of Rhode Island). Hurricane Katrina brought winds of 100-140 miles per hour (History).

 

 

(Theiss, Mike. Hurricane Charley Part 1 (Full Version)- Charlotte Harbor, Florida – August 13th, 2004.)

 Hurricane Effects on Ecosystems

The strong winds and heavy rainfalls that are capable of destroying buildings and uprooting trees can do the same damage to coastal and estuary ecosystems. The strong winds are capable of complete deforestation. Animals can either be killed directly by the weather forces or by indirect changes in their habitat and food sources. Endangered animal species can be pushed to the brink of extinction by hurricanes. For example, Hurricane Hugo reduced the Puerto Rican Parrot population to half its size. Storm surges and large waves can move sand and reshape coastal landscapes entirely. Almost 73 square miles of land have been lost due to hurricanes Katrina and Rita (University of Rhode Island).

KEY TERMS:

Storm surge: “An abnormal rise in sea level accompanying a hurricane or other intense storm, and whose height is the difference between the observed level of the sea surface and the level that would have occurred in the absence of the cyclone” (University of Rhode Island; NOAA-NHC). 

Global Climate Change and its Effect on Hurricanes

According to the National Center for Atmospheric Research and University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, “Sea-surface temperatures have increased in the parts of the Atlantic and Pacific where warm water fuels hurricanes over the last century. The warming is more likely due to human-produced climate change than natural cycles, according to research reported in June and September 2006” (National Center for Atmospheric Research). The Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory at Princeton University Forestal Campus predicts “Anthropogenic warming by the end of the 21st century will likely cause hurricanes globally to be more intense on average (by 2 to 11% according to model projections for an IPCC A1B scenario). This change would imply an even larger percentage increase in the destructive potential per storm,” (Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory). The same laboratory also predicts that it’s even more likely that the number of very intense hurricanes will increase and there is likely to be even higher rates of rainfall with these more intense, more frequent hurricanes of the future (Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory).

Although we are not all directly impacted by hurricanes depending on where we live, we, as humans, all play a role in global climate change and thus determine what hurricanes will be like in the future. If the global climate continues to increase, there is a very good chance that stronger hurricanes will completely reconfigure coastlines. Endangered species could become completely extinct following a hurricane’s destruction of those species’ habitats. Even states, cities, and countries that are not directly affected by hurricanes now could be affected in the future. Those states, cities, and countries are not prepared for hurricanes. It is then more likely that the damages resulting from these “unexpected” hurricanes will be even greater, costing more money and, worse, more lives and livelihoods.

KEY TERMS:

Anthropogenic warming/climate change: “Anthropogenic climate change refers to the production of greenhouse gases emitted by human activity” (Global Greenhouse Warming).

Bringing the Art and Science Together

Hurricanes are depicted well by Georgie Friedman and, I’d like to think that I depict them well through my creative display and entire blog. Hurricanes are massive and mysterious from their meteorological image as well as being massive and mysterious in their scientific explanation. I think this massiveness and mysteriousness almost needs to be conveyed from both scientific and artistic depictions in order for hurricanes to truly be understood by an audience. Just because we now have the technology to understand how hurricanes are formed and how strong or dangerous they are, doesn’t mean we have the technology to fully understand their impact in the future. Both Friedman and I want to convey to our audiences that there is some part of hurricanes that cannot be totally predicted or stopped. I think that gap of total understanding is part of the underlying “bigger issue” in my project.

I think both science and art are necessary in understanding the full magnitude and process surrounding hurricanes and their formation. For some viewers, the science will easily explain hurricane formation, decay, and impact. For other viewers, Friedman’s art will better explain those aspects of hurricanes. My artistic portrayal is just another tool in helping some of my viewers fully grasp the concepts I am presenting.

My creative component is supposed to be the characteristic spiral image associated with hurricanes. Although a loose interpretation of the meteorological image, I was more focused on what was making up my image rather than the actual image. To create the spiral, I chose words I picked out from my research about the formation of hurricanes. During my researching process, I was overwhelmed and fascinated by all the factors that went into the birth of a hurricane. There were so many little elements that had to be perfectly aligned to create these huge storms. I found it incredible that our planet’s atmosphere and oceans are able to foster the absolute perfect conditions to generate storms with winds blowing at hundreds of miles per hour. I interpreted the genesis of a hurricane as a recipe, with all these ingredients and instructions going into it to set it up. If something in the recipe isn’t right or an ingredient is forgotten, the hurricane will immediately decay. How can something that causes disorder and destruction, rely on so much orderliness and structure in its creation?

I also brought up when discussing the effects of global climate change, that we all, as humans, will be the ones to determine what the hurricanes of the future will be like. In fact, it will not only be hurricanes that will change in their frequency and location, but it is also likely that other superstorms such as tornadoes and tsunamis that are fueled by the conditions in the atmosphere and ocean, will also develop in the future. The topic of hurricanes is not a topic exclusive to residents of Florida and Louisiana. Not only do most people in the United States contribute to global climate change, we also are all residents of the same country. Do we not all have a responsibility to care for our fellow Americans? Do we not all have a responsibility to care for our fellow human beings? It is important that in the wake of disaster that we, those with the means, to show our support for those displaced and discouraged. So many people lost all their worldly possessions after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans. Red Cross and government aid is essential to help those people. Donations and funding help those programs continue to support victims of natural disasters. Clothing and food donations were and are vital to communities without resources following a hurricane or other natural disaster. There are many  ways to get involved and help communities affected by natural disasters and it is the solidarity and support we have for one another as fellow citizens and fellow human beings that will make the biggest difference in the future.