Tornado Genesis and Structure: What We Know, and What We are Learning

Christopher Weiss

Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX

Tornadoes are among the most violent and destructive of atmospheric phenomena, though, for their importance, the processes germane to tornado formation and maintenance are not well understood. The state of our knowledge currently is one where forecasts of mid-level thunderstorm updraft rotation (the “mesocyclone”) are relatively accurate, but the relation to / forcing for the tornado vortex itself has not been distinctly identified.

This presentation will first focus on the vitals of tornadoes, where and when they form, the basic structure of the parent supercell thunderstorms that produce them, and the three-dimensional distribution of wind within the tornado vortex itself.

Some of the existing theories on tornadogenesis (baroclinic and barotropic) will be discussed, many of which that have followed from the Verification of the Origin of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment (VORTEX) in 1994 and 1995. We will also expand into some of the current theories fueling the sequel project (VORTEX2) that will take place in the Plains during 2009 and 2010, with additional description of the instrumentation and methods that will be used to make pioneering measurements of supercell thunderstorms and tornadoes during the project.

Climatic Change

Marcia Baker

University of Washington, Seattle, WA

I will begin with a brief review of the physical bases for the Greenhouse Effect

and for some of the most important climate feedbacks. Then I will summarize our

current understanding of late 20th century climate change and present some

climate model forecasts for global and Pacific Northwest climate in the 21st

century.

What's up in the night sky?

Bruce Palmquist

Physics Department

Many Americans live in light polluted areas where the night sky consists of the moon and a few bright stars and planets. I will take you on a tour of the night sky in a Starlab planetarium to show you what these people are missing. We'll explore the visible sky and the sky as it exists in the myths of different cultures.