an American laboratory simulates a hurricane to better study the phenomenon

In the United States, the SUSTAIN laboratory – which can be translated as “resist” or “support” – cost the University of Miami $15 million. The hurricane simulator is a tank 23m long, 6m wide, with a capacity of 144,000 liters of water. This water is agitated by 12 panels, which will generate more or less strong waves, depending on the needs of the study. At the same time, a super powerful fan – 1,400 horsepower, basically used to ventilate a mine – will blow a wind of up to 250 kilometers per hour, the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane. The researchers are also using a small house equipped with sensors to measure the impacts of wind and waves.

The Americans have unlocked similar means to better understand hurricanes and storms. And there is a certain logic to doing so in a region like Florida, affected almost every year. All this study work is obviously much more difficult, dangerous and unpredictable in real conditions. Why does a cyclone gain power so quickly? This is one of the central questions. The laboratory has, for example, observed that the spray formed by powerful winds has an impact on the intensification of a hurricane. Another subject studied is the impact of global warming and therefore water on the strength of a hurricane. And then, better predicting the path of a hurricane matters enormously for the organization of relief and authorities. The laboratory is also used to test the resistance of buildings to wind and waves. Which could help architects to design more suitable constructions.

This unique laboratory in the world can be studied by researchers outside the University of Miami. Researchers from all over the world, from France, Australia and Japan, came to work there. One experiment involved placing artificial corals in the tank to find out if they reduced the power of waves, for example. A floating GPS capable of tracking an oil spill has been developed through hundreds of tests in the laboratory. A private company tested the resistance of its floating solar panels. The tank even served as an aquarium in 2017, when another university research department studying endangered marine species needed to relocate them. Even Leonardo Di Caprio, very concerned by environmental issues, would have come to see this laboratory up close.