Tornadoes: knowns, unknowns and future directions

This seminar will review the status of our scientific understanding of tornadoes and, in particular, the ways in which tornadoes form (i.e., the physics of tornado formation).  Our understanding of tornadoes and tornadogenesis is incomplete, mainly because of the lack of detailed observations of the environmental conditions within and around thunderstorms that produce tornadoes.  In order to fill this observational void, an extensive field study, the VORTEX2 project, is slated for 2009 and 2010.  The goals of this study will be summarized.

Dr. Kevin Knupp

Department of Atmospheric Science, UAH