Hypercane
Encyclopedia
A hypercane is a hypothetical class of extreme hurricane that could form if ocean temperatures reached around 50 °C (122 °F), which is 15 C-change warmer than the warmest ocean temperature ever recorded. Such an increase could be caused by a large asteroid
or comet
impact, a large volcanic
, supervolcanic
eruption, or very extensive global warming
. There is some speculation that a series of hypercanes resulting from an impact by a large asteroid or comet contributed to the demise of the dinosaur
s. The hypothesis was created by Kerry Emanuel
of MIT who also coined the term.
In order to form a hypercane, according to Emanuel's hypothetical model, the ocean temperature would have to be 48°C (120°F). Although such a storm would also be quite small in area as compared to hurricanes, perhaps only 25km² (10 mi²), it would extend much further into the upper stratosphere
; present day hurricanes only extend into the lower stratosphere.
Hypercanes would have wind speeds of over 800 km/h (497.1 mph), equalling an original Fujita scale
rating number of F9.0, and would also have a central pressure of less than 70 kilopascals (20.7 inHg) (700 milibars), giving them an enormous lifespan. For comparison, the largest and most intense storm on record was 1979's Typhoon Tip
, with a wind speed of over 300 kilometres per hour (186.4 mph) and central pressure of 87 kilopascals (25.7 inHg) (870 milibars). Such a storm would be eight times more powerful than the strongest storms yet recorded.
The extreme conditions needed to create a hypercane could conceivably produce a system up to the size of North America
, creating storm surge
s of 18 m (59.1 ft) and an eye nearly 300 km (186.4 mi) across. The waters could remain hot enough for weeks, allowing more hypercanes to be formed. A hypercane's clouds would reach 30 km (18.6 mi) into the stratosphere
. Such an intense storm would also damage the Earth's ozone
. Water molecules in the stratosphere would react with ozone
to accelerate decay into O2 and reduce absorption of ultraviolet light.
's science-fiction trilogy The Night's Dawn Trilogy
describes an Earth where, by the 24th century, runaway climate change
has made hypercanes a common occurrence. In the context of the novels, hypercanes are referred to as armada storms. This label was created during the first recorded hypercane, as an extension of the famous chaos theory
meme
: if a butterfly can create a storm by flapping its wings, a hypercane can only be the consequence of an armada of butterflies working in unison. The anime
television series Tactical Roar
uses a fictional hypercane in the Pacific Ocean
as a pretext to showcase naval battles, which are the series' focus, and a hypercane is also shown in the episode "The Storm" in Stargate: Atlantis. Hypercanes are also depicted, although somewhat differently, in the popular movie The Day After Tomorrow
. Some young-earth creationists claim that hypercanes struck frequently in the years following the Great Flood.
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
or comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
impact, a large volcanic
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
, supervolcanic
Supervolcano
A supervolcano is a volcano capable of producing a volcanic eruption with an ejecta volume greater than 1,000 cubic kilometers . This is thousands of times larger than most historic volcanic eruptions. Supervolcanoes can occur when magma in the Earth rises into the crust from a hotspot but is...
eruption, or very extensive global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
. There is some speculation that a series of hypercanes resulting from an impact by a large asteroid or comet contributed to the demise of the dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s. The hypothesis was created by Kerry Emanuel
Kerry Emanuel
Kerry Emanuel is an American professor of meteorology currently working at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. In particular he has specialized in atmospheric convection and the mechanisms acting to intensify hurricanes. He coined the term "hypercane" in 1994. In 2007, he was...
of MIT who also coined the term.
Physical description
Stratosphere
The stratosphere is the second major layer of Earth's atmosphere, just above the troposphere, and below the mesosphere. It is stratified in temperature, with warmer layers higher up and cooler layers farther down. This is in contrast to the troposphere near the Earth's surface, which is cooler...
; present day hurricanes only extend into the lower stratosphere.
Hypercanes would have wind speeds of over 800 km/h (497.1 mph), equalling an original Fujita scale
Fujita scale
The Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...
rating number of F9.0, and would also have a central pressure of less than 70 kilopascals (20.7 inHg) (700 milibars), giving them an enormous lifespan. For comparison, the largest and most intense storm on record was 1979's Typhoon Tip
Typhoon Tip
Typhoon Tip was the largest and most intense tropical cyclone on record. The nineteenth tropical storm and twelfth typhoon of the 1979 Pacific typhoon season, Tip developed out of a disturbance in the monsoon trough on October 4 near Pohnpei...
, with a wind speed of over 300 kilometres per hour (186.4 mph) and central pressure of 87 kilopascals (25.7 inHg) (870 milibars). Such a storm would be eight times more powerful than the strongest storms yet recorded.
The extreme conditions needed to create a hypercane could conceivably produce a system up to the size of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, creating storm surge
Storm surge
A storm surge is an offshore rise of water associated with a low pressure weather system, typically tropical cyclones and strong extratropical cyclones. Storm surges are caused primarily by high winds pushing on the ocean's surface. The wind causes the water to pile up higher than the ordinary sea...
s of 18 m (59.1 ft) and an eye nearly 300 km (186.4 mi) across. The waters could remain hot enough for weeks, allowing more hypercanes to be formed. A hypercane's clouds would reach 30 km (18.6 mi) into the stratosphere
Stratosphere
The stratosphere is the second major layer of Earth's atmosphere, just above the troposphere, and below the mesosphere. It is stratified in temperature, with warmer layers higher up and cooler layers farther down. This is in contrast to the troposphere near the Earth's surface, which is cooler...
. Such an intense storm would also damage the Earth's ozone
Ozone
Ozone , or trioxygen, is a triatomic molecule, consisting of three oxygen atoms. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope...
. Water molecules in the stratosphere would react with ozone
Ozone
Ozone , or trioxygen, is a triatomic molecule, consisting of three oxygen atoms. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope...
to accelerate decay into O2 and reduce absorption of ultraviolet light.
In popular culture
Peter F. HamiltonPeter F. Hamilton
Peter F. Hamilton is a British author. He is best known for writing space opera. As of the publication of his tenth novel in 2004, his works had sold over two million copies worldwide.- Biography :...
's science-fiction trilogy The Night's Dawn Trilogy
The Night's Dawn Trilogy
British author Peter F. Hamilton's The Night's Dawn Trilogy consists of three science fiction novels: The Reality Dysfunction , The Neutronium Alchemist , and The Naked God...
describes an Earth where, by the 24th century, runaway climate change
Runaway climate change
Runaway climate change describes a theoretical scenario in which the climate system passes a threshold or tipping point, after which internal positive feedback effects cause the climate to continue changing without further external forcings...
has made hypercanes a common occurrence. In the context of the novels, hypercanes are referred to as armada storms. This label was created during the first recorded hypercane, as an extension of the famous chaos theory
Chaos theory
Chaos theory is a field of study in mathematics, with applications in several disciplines including physics, economics, biology, and philosophy. Chaos theory studies the behavior of dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions, an effect which is popularly referred to as the...
meme
Meme
A meme is "an idea, behaviour or style that spreads from person to person within a culture."A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena...
: if a butterfly can create a storm by flapping its wings, a hypercane can only be the consequence of an armada of butterflies working in unison. The anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
television series Tactical Roar
Tactical Roar
is a Japanese anime television series set in a not-too-distant future. The series is around all-female crew of the commercial Warship, the Pascal Magi. The series is mix of serious combat, political intrigue, light romance, and comedy. A classic story of the underdogs trying prove their worth...
uses a fictional hypercane in the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
as a pretext to showcase naval battles, which are the series' focus, and a hypercane is also shown in the episode "The Storm" in Stargate: Atlantis. Hypercanes are also depicted, although somewhat differently, in the popular movie The Day After Tomorrow
The Day After Tomorrow
The Day After Tomorrow is a 2004 American science-fiction disaster film that depicts the catastrophic effects of global warming in a series of extreme weather events that usher in global cooling which leads to a new ice age. The film did well at the box office, grossing $542,771,772 internationally...
. Some young-earth creationists claim that hypercanes struck frequently in the years following the Great Flood.