Tropical hurricanes

On the whole, the problem of assessing the role of hurricanes in the formation of gas exchange at the atmosphere-ocean boundary remains to be studied. Clearly, in the tropical low-productive zone of the World Ocean, where atmospheric C02 assimilation is negligibly small, getting reliable estimates of the increase in ecosystem productivity during the passage of tropical hurricanes will make it possible to specify the role of the World Ocean in regulating climate. 

Grankov A.G. Krapivin V.F. and Soldatov V.Yu. (2006). Diagnostics of the tropical hurricane beginning in the ocean basing on the monitoring data and mathematical model. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Ecoinformatics Problems (Moscow, December 5-7, 2006). IREE Publ., Moscow, pp. 5-14 [in Russian]. 

Sr, Cs, and other fission products it has been possible to follow the movements of water from land via lakes and rivers into the sea, as well as to study the water streams of the oceans and the exchange between surface and deep water. As a result the circulation of water on earth has been mapped in quite detail. It has also been possible to analyze how tropical hurricanes are formed by measuring the water tak into the central part (the "eye")... 

The tornado is part of the same family of tropical hurricanes, but its size is much smaller. The dimension of the vortex is of 10-100 m, while the central vortex of a hurricane may be 100-1000 times higher. 

Bandeen, W., Kunde, V., Nordberg, W., Thompson, H. (1964). Tiros 111 meteorological satellite, radiation observations of a tropical hurricane. Tellus, 16, 481-502. 

Fig. 9.11 Historical record of 8lsO in tree rings of long-leaf pine in southern Georgia correlated with the historical record of hurricanes in the area. Open circles = no documented tropical storms, solid squares = documented storms in area, shaded triangles = major tropical storm >400 km from site (Reprinted with permission from Miller, D. L. et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 103, 14294 (2006), copyright 2006, National Academy of Sciences, USA)...

The water vapor in our atmosphere also gives up energy as it condenses. This is the energy source for many weather systems, such as hurricanes, which derive much of their energy from the condensation of water vapor contained in humid tropical air, as Figure 8.27 illustrates. The formation of 1 inch of rain over an area of 1 square mile yields the energy equivalent of about 32,000 tons of exploded dynamite. 

As it condenses, the water vapor in humid tropical air releases ample quantities of heat. Continued condensation can sometimes lead to powerful storm systems, such as hurricanes. 

The hurricane began as a tropical depression on August 23, 2005, near the Bahamas. A tropical depression is characterized by surface winds blowing between 23 and 39 miles (37 and 63 km) per hour. By the next day, the tropical depression was upgraded to a tropical storm, an area with stronger winds and rain. It was given the name Katrina. The storm started moving toward the southeast coastline and did not officially become a hurricane until two hours before it struck land. 

R.D. Knabb, J.R Rhome, and D.P. Brown. Tropical Cycline Report Hurricane Katrina. National Hurricane Center Web Site. Available online. URL http //www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/ TCR-AL122005 Katrina.pdf. Accessed December 20, 2005. 

The hurricane season in 2003 was extremely active in the basin of the Atlantic Ocean with sixteen tropical storms, seven hurricanes, and three super-hurricanes. Five of these tropical cyclones led to landslides in the northeast of Mexico. In 2003, destructive hurricanes devastated New Scotland and Bermuda. The formation of five tropical storms in the Gulf of Mexico turned out to be a specific feature of a region in the Atlantic Ocean. Three tropical storms formed outside the usual time interval (June-November), one formed in April, and two in December. In the eastern sector of the Pacific Ocean in the Northern Hemisphere, the activity of storm formation was below usual (there were no large-scale storms here at all). 

Indices of losses caused by natural disasters depend much on the preparedness of the regional population to reduce the risk of losses. The heaviest losses are caused by floods and hurricanes. The spatial distribution of natural disasters is also non-uni-form (Table 7.16). For example, the percentage distribution of natural disasters by type and continent is as follows tropical storms 32%, floods 32%, earthquakes 12%, droughts 10%, other disasters 14% Asia 38%, America 26%, Africa 14%, Europe 14%, and Oceania 8%. 

Hurricane Tropical Storm gg Flood yf Severe Weather Q Blizzard iMt Fires L Nor eeeter Ice Storm... 

This is the Web site for the National Weather Service s National Hurricane Center. What tropical... 

Tropical storms, typhoons, or hurricanes, depending on their strength and geographical context, often deliver torrential rains. Increased river flow during such high intensity, low frequency rainfall events can transport a major portion of annual river N load to coastal systems. Historically, there has been a paucity of data on such events due to their irregular and extreme nature and the generally manual nature of water sample collection for nutrient analyses. However, with the use of in situ automatic water samplers and nutrient analysis systems, data from such events can now more readily be captured. 

As air is lifted through the center of a cyclone, it often reaches its dew point, forming clouds and creating precipitation. If sufficiently warm and moisture-laden air is drawn into a cyclone, the heat energy released by condensation can augment the kinetic energy of the cyclone, causing it to intensify. This process occurs in hurricanes over warm, tropical seas. 

The question is What kind of world will we create If we continue to base our economies on coal and oil, we will create a world with toxic air, filthy water, and debilitating diseases. Global warming will likely bring droughts and hurricanes, tropical diseases in the North, and widespread coastal flooding. 

Hurricanes predominantly effect the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of North America. These weather systems can also occur in other regions of the world where they may be identified by other names such as typhoons or tropical cyclones. Hurricanes that effect North America are spawned over the western Atlantic Ocean and usually develop between July and September. These weather systems are very powerful and can affect the weather pattern for hundreds of miles (kilometers) from the center of the storm. The National Weather Service can usually provide a 2-3 day warning to those areas in the expected path of a hurricane. 

El A (2006a) The Impact of Tropical Cyclones on Gulf of Mexico Crude Oil and Natural Gas Production , Energy Information Administration, Washington, DC, June 2006, available at http //www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/steo/pub/pdf/ hurricanes.pdf. 

Hurricanes are storms that develop when warm, moist air carried by trade winds rotates around a low-pressure eye . A large, rotating, low-pressure system accompanied by heavy precipitation and strong winds is called a tropical cyclone or is better known as a hurricane. In the Pacific region, a hurricane is called a typhoon. 

Cyclones (hurricanes/typhoons) develop over warm bodies of water and create high winds and thunderstorms. Many offshore oil and gas facilities, particularly in the Gulf of Mexico, are vulnerable to the effects of cyclones. Tropical storms and tropical depressions have the same causes as cyclones but generally do not generate such high winds—although they can create considerable rainfall. 

---