Hurricanes Geography - Research Paper Example

Download file to see previous pages As wind speed exceeds 74 miles per hour a hurricane is born. Hurricanes usually formed from warm water in the tropical region. Water is usually 800F (270C) in this part of the earth. In a year, four hurricanes develop in the Atlantic region and an approximate of sixty hurricanes rise from tropical seas and swirls through the globe. Coastal areas are the most prone to danger because hurricanes are formed in the sea. Hurricanes in the United States mostly come from the tropical and subtropical waters of the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, the CaribbeanSea and the Atlantic Ocean. Some are small and others are large. But whatever the case, hurricanes are the mightiest of all storms. Hurricanes are natural phenomena that can be dangerous and destructive but is perfectly designed by nature to serve a purpose. It is essential to maintain the optimal warm temperature of the earth. Hurricanes suck up warm water from the sea surface to its eye wall and when it rise up it condenses forming rains showers. These rain waters arid lands and alleviates drought in some hot locations. Anatomy of a Hurricane Hurricanes do not occur everywhere in the world. You can never find hurricanes in cold locations like the Antarctic and Arctic regions of the earth. Hurricanes start from storm seeds mainly from the west coast of tropical areas like the Pacific Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Small atmospheric disturbance occur that creates low pressure area. Air is pushed through this low pressure area by the surrounding high pressure environment. Warm tropical sea water transfer heat to air so it rises as it nears the center. It speeds up the acceleration of rising air thus providing energy for the developing storm. Hot air then comes into contact with cold air aloft and results into thunderstorms. If the conditions are favorable like locations with high humidity and hot weather, a hurricane is most likely being formed. Low pressure systems with accompanying thunderstorms are called tropical cyclones. These tropical cyclones rotate counter clockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere. This cyclonic behavior is due to the earths Coriolis Effect. Tropical disturbance is reported for a group of thunderstorms in the tropics that are present for at least 24 hours. It is then escalated to tropical wave status when it reaches winds with 25mph moving in all direction. The time it develops circulation, that’s the time it is called a tropical cyclone. Tropical depression is a tropical cyclone with wind speeds of at least 38 mph. When the tropical cyclone’s wind reaches 39 to 73 mph, it is then labeled tropical storm. Tropical storm has showers and thunderstorms that are moving closer to circulation. Hurricane is termed for the most severe category of tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of 74 mph. At this level, an eye is developed at the center of the cyclone. The coverage of the thunderstorms varies depending on the intensity and wind speed of the hurricane. Source: http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/hurr/stages/home.rxml Hurricanes have area that is relatively cloudless and calm. This area is called the eye of the hurricane and it is located at the center of the tropical cyclone. The eye is usually 20 to 30 m wide for a storm that has diameter of 400 miles across. The area immediate to the eye is called the eye ...Download file to see next pages Read More