A man stumbled upon an unusual marking in a satellite image of the Australian outback. Scientists have now identified the cause of the mysterious scar.
What's happening?
A man looking for caves to explore in the Nullarbor Plain region of Australia found a fascinating feature on the ground that was visible on Google Earth satellite imagery. As covered in an article for The Conversation, the earth appeared to have a scar at the surface over a barren patch of land that stretched from Western Australia over the border to South Australia.
The unusual marking intrigued scientists who set out to solve the mystery of what caused it. They discovered it was most likely from a ferocious force of nature that occurs frequently in the United States but is not nearly as common in Australia, according to Matej Lipar's article in The Conversation. Lipar is from Curtin University's School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, and he also published a deeper study of the topic.
"The scar's characteristics and the associated weather patterns strongly suggest it was formed by a tornado," according to the analysis of the scarred land, published in the Journal of Southern Hemisphere Earth Systems Science. "Based on the scar's dimensions and the pattern of cycloidal marks, the tornado's strength is estimated to be within the F2 or even F3 category on the Fujita scale, with wind speeds likely exceeding 200 km h–1, moving in an eastward direction and swirling clockwise."
The United States is the tornado capital of the world. Our country experiences over 1,200 of them on average each year. Australia sees just a fraction of that number, about 30-80 annually. So, it is a relatively rare event when a twister strikes Down Under.
Why is a tornado scar in Australia important?
The United States has a vast network of radars and other forms of technology that can identify tornadoes and offer valuable information that gives clues about how they form. The data can help forecasters better predict when and where a twister will form.
The only evidence of the tornado that scoured the land in the Australian outback is the satellite imagery that reveals the scar at the surface. The marred land that the spinning vortex left behind is the only sign that a twister touched down.
Scientists can now study how the storm impacted the Earth's surface to glean information that might help meteorologists better prepare for the next tornado.
"The tornado probably lasted between seven and 13 minutes," Lipar wrote in The Conversation article. "Features of the scar suggest the whirling wind within the tornado was moving in a clockwise direction. We also think the tornado moved from west to east — which is consistent with the direction of a strong cold front in the region at the time."
What's being done to improve deadly weather disaster forecasts?
A study done by World Weather Attribution found that our overheating planet has worsened the deadliest weather disasters over the past 20 years that have resulted in the deaths of nearly 600,000 people. Improved forecasts can provide more lead time that could save lives in the United States, Australia, and other places worldwide that endure tornadoes.
New technology offers hope that improved forecasts of severe weather will save lives. Early this year, civil engineers in Australia announced the development of new software that can help predict weather disasters. Artificial intelligence programs are also being used to make severe weather forecasts faster and more accurate.
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