Hurricane simulation. This screenshot is from the award-winning simulation 'Towers in the Tempest', produced by NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio in 2007. Here, air on the edge of the low-pressure system that is the hurricane's eye (L) rises faster through a 'hot tower' (yellow) than in other areas of the hurricane. The rising air releases energy (from the evaporation of warm ocean water) at a height of around 15 kilometres as the condensation of clouds. The acceleration of energy through the 'hot towers' intensifies the strength of the hurricane. This simulation was based on observations of Hurricane Bonnie using the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRRM) spacecraft.