Tropical Storms

Question 1

when do tropical storms develop

Answer 1

• when the sea temperature is 27C or higher

- and the wind shear between higher and lower parts of the atmosphere is low

Question 2

what is wind shear

Answer 2

the differences in wind speed

Question 3

what happens when the sea is heated to temperatures of 27C and above

Answer 3

• the warm moist are rises and condensation occurs

- this releases huge amounts of energy which makes the storm powerful

Question 4

what does the rising air from the high sea temperatures cause

Answer 4

• low pressure

- which increases surface winds

Question 5

why do tropical storms move towards the west

Answer 5

because of the easterly winds near the equator

Question 6

why do tropical storms spin

Answer 6

because the earths rotation deflects the paths of the winds

Question 7

why do storms get stronger above water but weaker above land

Answer 7

• above water they get stronger due to the energy from the warm water
• which causes wind speeds to increase
• but above land they lose strength
• because the energy supply from the warm water of the sea is cut off

Question 8

why do most tropical storms only occur 5 to 30 degrees north and south of the equator

Answer 8

• because this is where the temperatures of the seas are highest
• any further from the equator and the water wouldnt be warm enough to provide the energy for the storm

Question 9

when are sea temperatures highest in the northern hemisphere, especially over the pacific

Answer 9

in late summer and autumn

Question 10

what are the main properties of a tropical storm

Answer 10

• they are circular in shape
• hundreds of kilometres wide
• usually last 7 to 14 days

Question 11

how does the direction that a tropical storm spins change depending on the hemisphere that it is in

Answer 11

• they spin anticlockwise in the northern hemisphere

- and clockwise in the southern hemisphere

Question 12

what is the center of a storm called

Answer 12

the eye

Question 13

what is the eye of the storm caused by and how large is it

Answer 13

• it is caused by descending air

- it can be up to 50km across

Question 14

what is it like in the eye of the storm in terms of the conditions

Answer 14

• there is very low pressure
• light winds
• no clouds
• no rain
• and a high temperature
• it is very calm compared to the rest of the storm

Question 15

what happens towards the edges of the storm as its intensity decreses

Answer 15

• the wind speeds fall
• causing clouds to become more scattered
• the rain becoming less intense
• and the temperature increasing

Question 16

what is the eye of the storm surrounded by and what is it like

Answer 16

• the eye wall
• where there is spiralling rising air
• very strong winds of about 160km per hour
• storm clouds
• torrential rain
• and low temperatures

Question 17

how does the air and its temperature determine the shape of the storm

Answer 17

• the warm rising air is what causes the main body of the storm to be aggressive and intense
• the air cools as it rises and begins to sink down into the center of the main body of the storm
• this descending air clears a space at the center of the storm
• creating the relatively small eye at the center with the large circular body of expanding warm air around it

Question 18

what is the effect of global temperatures being expected to rise as a result of climate change regarding tropical storms

Answer 18

• it means that more of the worlds oceans would be above 27C

- so more places in the world would experience tropical storms

Question 19

what two factors of tropical storms would increase as global temperatures begin to rise and why

Answer 19

• their frequency and their strength
• because oceans will stay at 27C or higher for more of the year so the number of tropical storms will increase
• while the higher temperatures also means storms will be stronger which will cause more damage