Low wind SEQ

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lookkc
lookkc
QLD
69 posts
QLD, 69 posts
17 Feb 2007 12:47am
Talking to a uni physics lecturer friend whose professor colleague has this theory about the drought conditions in SEQ. Seems we are a massive heat source from the border to Caboolture and the rising hot air acts like a dam to the onshore breezes. Not only do the rains not get far inland but I reckon their velocity is lower too. Hence the sub 20 knot days. I would appreciate any link to records that might support or disprove this claim. eg www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/wind/wrsum3.shtml
nebbian
nebbian
WA
6277 posts
WA, 6277 posts
17 Feb 2007 6:39am
7 years I spent at uni, and every one of them made me think that uni lecturers are full of sh**.

This was brought home to me when giving a presentation for a project, our team had decided to make an electronic device that could keep tabs on a pet. Put the little keyfob on their collar, and a base unit would beep if the pet went out of range. I was planning on using an automotive car unlocker as the basis for the keyfob.

Lecturer: "What frequency will you be using?"
Me: "The same as all modern car keyfobs use, around 400 MHz."
Lecturer: "So where will you put the aerial?"
Me: "Errr... well the aerial is inside the unit, so I won't need to put it anywhere."
Lecturer: "You will need an aerial at least half a metre long to make it work, where will you put it?"
Me: (Not wanting to sound rude and get a low mark for the project) "This is a proven existing technology, which is widely deployed, and I'm willing to bet that people in this very room have a keyfob that uses the same frequency, and they don't have 50cm aerials trailing around behind them. I think it will be OK."
Lecturer: "For a 1/4 wave dipole, you need an aerial at least 1/4 the wavelength of the fundamental.... bla bla bla" At this point I started ignoring him, because the rest of the class was sniggering at him under their breath.

Back to the subject, and tarring your lecturer friend with the same brush, have you had a good solid discussion with him about how seabreezes work? How hot air rises from the land, which creates a void, and the cooler air from the sea rushes in to fill this void? And the more the hot air rises, the more seabreeze you get?
Also have you asked him to consider that perhaps the seabreeze is fighting the jetstream which blows west to east?
Gestalt
Gestalt
QLD
14968 posts
QLD, 14968 posts
25 Feb 2007 10:24pm
hi kerry,

i stumbled onto this site....

http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/science/factsheet/enso.html
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