Heat Engine Theory
•Heat engine - heat is taken in at a high temperature, converted into work, and then ejected at a lower
temperature.
•For hurricanes source of heat is sensible heat at surface and
latent heat of condensation.
•Heat taken in at ocean surface,
converted to kinetic energy of wind motion, and lost at top due to radiation
cooling.
•Not clear at present which theory (or both) drives hurricanes.