Dynamical Analysis and Visualization of Tornadoes Time Series

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2015

Authors

António Mendes Lopes (Author) FEUP; Machado, JAT (Author) Other

Journal

Title: PLoS ONE

Vol. 10

Final page: e0120260

ISSN: 1932-6203

Publisher: Public Library of Science

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 4 Citations

Scopus - 2 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00A-AJK

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0120260

Abstract (EN): In this paper we analyze the behavior of tornado time-series in the U.S. from the perspective of dynamical systems. A tornado is a violently rotating column of air extending from a cumulonimbus cloud down to the ground. Such phenomena reveal features that are well described by power law functions and unveil characteristics found in systems with long range memory effects. Tornado time series are viewed as the output of a complex system and are interpreted as a manifestation of its dynamics. Tornadoes are modeled as sequences of Dirac impulses with amplitude proportional to the events size. First, a collection of time series involving 64 years is analyzed in the frequency domain by means of the Fourier transform. The amplitude spectra are approximated by power law functions and their parameters are read as an underlying signature of the system dynamics. Second, it is adopted the concept of circular time and the collective behavior of tornadoes analyzed. Clustering techniques are then adopted to identify and visualize the emerging patterns.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 20