Meteorology Concepts, Hurricanes, Tornadoes, And Flooding Summary Essay

Meteorology Concepts, Hurricanes, Tornadoes, And Flooding Summary - Essay Example They have similar circumstances in which give birth to them and are associated with similar geographic and climatic conditions. In the recent past many great Hurricanes have been known to cause immense damage to coastlines of various nations. The most prominent and notorious hurricane known to have wreaked havoc in the recent history of mankind id Hurricane Katrina that struck the western coast of north America devastating human settlement, leaving hundreds dead and homeless.(Prothero 276) The primary cause of a hurricane is a steep pressure gradient. If the pressure gradient of the immediate atmospheric layer over sea and land exceeds a certain level under the prevailing atmospheric conditions, it leads to the formation of a swirling vortex of warm and cool air layers or air streams that intertwine and start whirling at extremely high speeds. The warm air rises above making space for the heavier / denser and colder air to rush into the land mass.This happens at great dimensions near sea shores and coastal areas where the air temperature and pressure gradient exists for large volumes of air. The extreme pressure and temperature difference causes the triggering of a hurricane that gathers moisture and air mass as it travels towards the nearest coastal point. Due to lower air pressure near coastal areas during the day time, (because lands heats up and cools down faster than water due to lesser specific heat capacity), hurricanes rush into coastal stretches sweeping along and across their territories. The chief ingredients of hurricanes are warm water and warm air. As water starts evaporating, they rise up and gather in the atmosphere where they begin to condense. These water drops then start coagulating and form a cloud. The water droplets on condensation release heat and causing the moist cool air to rise up making way for more warm air. This cycle of warm air with water vapor rising and condensing to create low pressure continues, until it leads to the formation of a vortex above the sea. They become lethal only when they pickup solid masses like: tin sheds trees, construction equipment, concrete, metal and other solid chunks of masses lying open on the ground. This gives it that devastating strength and inertia to cause unthinkable damage to areas where it has swept across. Typhoons are also borne out of wind and water and due to climatic imbalances affecting coastal areas and causing large scale damage to human property and lives. A Typhoon is very similar to a hurricane and the circumstances under which a typhoon is created are the same as that of a hurricane. Several factors contribute to the formation of a typhoon. Hurricane and Typhoons are the major two natural threats that endanger life and human settlement in coastal areas. Apart from the Tsunami, which is a rather rare calamity and is linked with deep sea earthquakes, these two natural disasters pose a more immediate threat to life and property located along the coastlines of various nations. Factors which contribute to the birth of a Typhoon are similar to those of a hurricane, like warm water vapor, warm air above, the sea surface, atmospheric pressure above sea, temperature and pressure imbalances, steep temperature and p