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Science 22 September 1967:
Vol. 157. no. 3795, pp. 1431 - 1434
DOI: 10.1126/science.157.3795.1431
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Articles

Tornadoes: Mechanism and Control

Stirling A. Colgate 1

1 New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro

If electrical energy is invoked to account for the high velocity of tornadoes, hydrodynamics restricts the possible mechanisms of energy exchange. In particular, the vortex is driven by a line sink of electrically heated air that must extend at least 5 kilometers high. In those rare cases where heroic measures may be justified to protect a city in the path of a major tornado, some possible control measures are discussed in terms of the electrical heating mechanism.


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)