Physics Estimations: How Much Energy Did Hurricane Erin Get From the Water?

Image: weathermodels.com

Nobody likes hurricanes. They can be quite destructive. However, we shouldn’t let that stop us from using these storms for some physics estimations.

Let’s just get to it.

Temperature of Surface Water and Energy

I saw this posted online. It shows the path of hurricane Erin and the following change in surface water temperature.

Image: Dennis Mersereau via Dam Weather

That’s just a crazy picture. It’s like Erin is an ice-based superhero flying over the water with a cold path left behind. Although it’s not. Instead, there are two things happening here. First, the water turbulence brings up cold water from deeper levels to the surface. Second, maybe it’s possible that the hurricane gained some energy from this cooler water. Of course, I’m not an actual hurricane-ologist but that story make this a fun physics estimation.

So, if the surface water cooled and transferred energy to the hurricane (like a heat pump) then how much energy did Erin gain? Let’s assume that there was no phase change of the water from liquid to gas and instead it just cooled. With that, the change…