AggieDave 6 #1 September 3, 2003 Yup, this is why we shouldn't jump through clouds! http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/SciTech/clouds_krulwich030902.html QuoteElephants in the Sky Using the Largest Living Land Mammal to Calculate Cloud Mass By Robert Krulwich Sept. 3— Ever wonder how much a cloud weighs? What about a hurricane? A meteorologist has done some estimates and the results might surprise you. Let's start with a very simple white puffy cloud — a cumulus cloud. How much does the water in a cumulus cloud weigh? Peggy LeMone, senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, did the numbers. "The water in the little cloud weighs about 550 tons," she calculates. "Or if you want to convert it to something that might be a little more meaningful … think of elephants." Floating Masses Assume an elephant weighs about six tons, she says, that would mean that water inside a typical cumulous cloud would weigh about one hundred elephants. The thought of a hundred elephants-worth of water suspended in the sky begs another question — what keeps it up there? "First of all, the water isn't in elephant sized particles, it's in tiny tiny tiny particles," explains LeMone. And those particles float on the warmer air that's rising below. But still, the concept of so much water floating in the sky was surprising even to a meteorologist like LeMone. "I had no idea how much a cloud would weigh, actually, when I started the calculations," she says. Outweighing Elephant Populations So how many elephant units of water are inside a big storm cloud … 10 times bigger all the way around than the "puffy" cumulus cloud? Again, LeMone did the numbers: About 200,000 elephants. Now, ratchet up the calculations for a hurricane about the size of Missouri and the figures get really massive. "What we're doing is weighing the water in one cubic meter theoretically pulled from a cloud and then multiplying by the number of meters in a whole hurricane," she explains. The result? Forty million elephants. That means the water in one hurricane weighs more than all the elephants on the planet. Perhaps even more than all the elephants that have ever lived on the planet. And that is a lot of water. — ABC News' Justine Schiro and Alex Travelli contributed to this report. --"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Viking 0 #2 September 3, 2003 very useless post dave, thanx I swear you must have footprints on the back of your helmet - chicagoskydiver My God has a bigger dick than your god -George Carlin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Casie 0 #3 September 3, 2003 I had no idea! Thanx for the info~Porn Kitty WARNING: Goldschlager causes extreme emotional outbursts! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nutz 0 #4 September 3, 2003 Quotevery useless post dave, thanx Yes Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
txblondie 0 #5 September 3, 2003 Wow! You learn something new every day!!! ***************************************** Blondes do have more fun! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dgskydive 0 #6 September 3, 2003 I saw that on TV last night. Maybe not very useful but cool information non the less.Dom Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
turtlespeed 212 #7 September 3, 2003 QuoteI had no idea! Thanx for the info Lateral thinking puzzle... whats big and white and weighs 550 elephants?I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sneaky 0 #8 September 3, 2003 Thats the same as ' How longs a piece of string' Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Casie 0 #9 September 3, 2003 QuoteQuoteI had no idea! Thanx for the info Lateral thinking puzzle... whats big and white and weighs 550 elephants? ~Porn Kitty WARNING: Goldschlager causes extreme emotional outbursts! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zenister 0 #10 September 3, 2003 great, but does the FAA have any rules about jumping thru elephants?____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
turtlespeed 212 #11 September 3, 2003 Quotegreat, but does the FAA have any rules about jumping thru elephants? Yes, actually, I forget which one it is, but you are only allowed to fly through elephants if you are both in the "Head Down Posseetion"I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,435 #12 September 3, 2003 >A meteorologist has done some estimates and the results might >surprise you. Why would they suprise anyone? An equivalent volume of air weighs about the same. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #13 September 3, 2003 Quote Why would they suprise anyone? An equivalent volume of air weighs about the same. It surprises me that the meteorologist would use the term weight. Arrrgh! Mass.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
