Tropical storms Flashcards
Where do tropical storms usually develop
over warm waters at 27 degrees of higher, between 5 and 30 degrees north and south of the equator any further and the water is not warm enough, mainly in the northern hemisphere
How do tropical storms develop
warm water where the wind shear between higher and lower parts of the atmosphere is low, warm moist air rises and condensation occurs which releases large amounts of energy, rising air creates an area of low pressure which increases surface winds, tropical storms move towards the west because the easterly winds are near the equator, the Earth’s rotation deflects the paths of the winds which causes the storm to spin, the storm gets stronger due to energy from the warm water so wind speed increases they lose strength when they move over land or cooler water because the energy supply is cut off
Features of a tropical storm
circular shape, 100s of KM wide, usually last between 7-14 days, spin anticlockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise the the south
Structure of a tropical storm
centre of the storm is the eye caused by descending air - very low pressure, light winds, no clouds, no rain and high temperature in the eye, up to 50 Km across. eyes is surrounded by an eye wall - spiralling rising air, very strong winds, storm clouds, torrential rain, low temperature. edges of the storm - wind speed falls, clouds become smaller and more scattered, rain becomes less intense, temperature increases
How does climate change effect tropical storms
global temperatures are expected to rise which means more of the world’s oceans could be above 27 degrees so more places could experience tropical storms, oceans will stay warmer for longer meaning the number could increase, higher temperatures = stronger and cause more damage
How can we reduce the effects of tropical storms
prediction - radar, satellites can monitor storms and calculate predicted paths = gives time for people to evacuate and protect their buildings, planning - developments can avoid high risk places, services can train for specific things, evacuation routes can be planned, protection - buildings can be designed to withstand tropical storms, flood defences = less damage
