Tornado detected by seismograph

[isobar]

This article was in our local paper this morning. This man recorded the entire Evansville tornado, 41 miles in all, on his homemade seismograph. Would be cool if this technology became a supplement to our warning system.

Local man makes waves in seismic circles
By MARK WILSON Courier & Press staff writer 464-7417 or mwilson@evansville.net
January 16, 2006

What a retired science teacher in Evansville recorded with homemade equipment during the Nov. 6 tornado underscores the usefulness of a new early warning technology, according to its developers.

Thomas Dick and his wife, Joann, live with their basset hound in a small, two-story brick house tucked away off Oak Hill Road. Since retiring from Mater Dei High School, Dick has pursued science through hobbies such as raising fish, shortwave radio, weather and seismology.

"I'm a jack of all trades and a master of none," he said, watching birds at the feeders in his front yard. Amid empty Ball jars and wine bottles in his basement on Wayside Drive for the last three years, Dick has maintained a sensitive homemade seismograph capable of detecting even the smallest vibrations in the ground. Hooked to a computer, the data is synced with a satellite time signal and stored with a software program commonly used by amateur seismologists.

Although Dick didn't realize it until weeks later, his seismographic equipment clearly recorded the deadly F3 tornado as it tore its way over the ground from Henderson County, Ky., to northeast Warrick County. The twister killed 25 people, injured scores more and damaged hundreds of homes and businesses.

Only weeks later, at a square dancing meeting, did an acquaintance point out to Dick that his equipment may have recorded something. Once he uploaded the data to view, it was obvious: a sea of wild red waves correlated with the time and duration of the tornado, virtually from beginning to end.

The graphs raised more questions than answers for Dick, and he began sharing the information with other amateur seismologists over the Internet. It didn't take long for it to get the attention of two engineers pioneering a tornado early warning system, based on seismic technology.

"It's impressive. We don't everyday get a signal as nice as the one he picked up. That is telling you that these types of systems would be very useful in detecting these tornadoes before they strike trailer parks and homes and whatnot," said Stan Vitton, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Michigan Technological University.

Vitton is working with Frank Tatom, a professional mechanical engineer in Huntsville, Ala., who has for 12 years been studying the seismic signals created by tornadoes when they are on the ground. Tatom, who has degrees from the Naval Academy, Auburn University and Georgia Tech, has patented the idea of a seismic early warning network. Tatom said he got the idea when NASA hired him to study the effects of vibrations on its space shuttles.

Tatom consulted for Evansville's successful campaign to persuade the National Weather Service to locate a NEXRAD Doppler radar in the area for better tornado warnings. The weather service often issues warnings based on the advanced radar system, which can indicate signs of tornadoes known as tornadic vortex signatures. However, the majority of those warnings pass without a tornado having ever touched down. "That makes people a little bit blase," Tatom said.

However, the odds of accurately predicting a tornado increase significantly by using seismic sensors to tell people that one is actually on the ground, he said. That, combined with the NEXRAD, could create an almost foolproof warning system for those in the tornado's path - especially for areas with diverse topography.

[jasons2k]

Intersting article.

I know they have been conducting similiar research at Texas Tech's wind engineering center. In fact several years ago, they had a news story in Lubbock about how they had already developed a prototype home warning system - it looked just like a smoke detector. Maybe a consumer version isn't too far away.

Also, I wonder how the patent is going to work (if these guys above claim to have one). I graduated from Tech in 1997, so this working prototype they had there was working at least 9 years ago. Wow, time flies....

[mike815]

that sure is interesting

[Weatherfreak14]

Yes, very interesting