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Amphan A tropical Cyclone

Context:-
The storm system in the Bay of Bengal, Amphan, developed into a super cyclone on
18 may and is expected to make landfall along the West Bengal-Bangladesh coast
on 20 may, according to the India Meteorological Department

Paper 1 Geography

Mains question
What are the Characteristics of tropical cyclone ? Discuss its significance?

Introduction:-

The cyclones are irregular wind movements involving closed air circulation around
a low pressure centre. This closed air circulation is caused by atmospheric
disturbances over and above the earth’s surface, coupled with the earth’s ‘rotation
which imparts to these disturbances a whirling motion.

Cyclones are associated with destructive and violent disturbances, such as heavy
squalls and torrential rainfall.

Tropical Cyclones:

Origin and Development:

The tropical cyclones have a thermal origin, and they develop over tropical seas
during certain seasons. At these locations, the local convectional currents acquire a
whirling motion because of the Coriolis force generated by the earth’s rotation.
After developing, these cyclones advance till they find a weak spot in the trade wind
belt.

The ideal conditions for the development of tropical cyclones are:

(i) Quiet air

(ii) High temperature

(iii) Highly saturated atmospheric conditions.

Such conditions exist over the equatorial doldrums, especially in western margins
of oceans, which have great moisture carrying capacity because the trade winds

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continuously replace the saturated air. Also, the whirling motion is enhanced when
the doldrums are farthest from the equator. This happens during the autumnal
equinox (August-September). At this time, there are two advantages the air is
overheated and the sun is exactly over the equator. The source of energy for the
development of tropical cyclones is latent heat of condensation.

Conditions Favourable for Tropical Cyclones:

Various conditions are favourable for the formation of tropical cyclones. These are
described below.

Source of Latent Heat:

 Tropical cyclones are formed over warm waters having temperatures of 26°C
or more. Sufficient evaporation leads to the accumulation of moisture above
the ocean surface. This, in turn, provides the necessary latent heat to supply
the energy for the storm and is later released in the process of cloud and
rain formation.
 tropical cyclones originate in the western part of the oceans where
temperatures are relatively higher than their eastern parts. The cold
currents lower the surface temperatures of the eastern parts of the tropical
oceans making them unfit for the breeding of such storms.
 The depth of warm water (26-27°C) should extend for 60-70 m from surface
of the ocean/sea, so that deep convection currents within the water do not
churn and mix the cooler water below with the warmer water near the
surface.

Coriolis Force (f):

The Coriolis force is zero, at the equator but it increases with latitude. A Coriolis
force exceeding 10-5 /second in magnitude occurs above 5° latitude. This
magnitude is strong enough to help the development of a cyclonic vortex. So we
find that about 65 per cent of cyclonic activity occurs between 10° and 20° latitude.
Of course, the Coriolis force continues to increase with latitude, but at the higher
latitudes the other factors necessary for cyclone formation cease to exist.

Low-level Disturbances:

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Low-level disturbance in the form of easterly wave disturbances in the Inter-

Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) should pre¬exist. Small local differences in the
temperature of water and of air produce various low pressure centres of small size.
A weak cyclonic circulation develops around these areas. Then, because of the
warm humid air and the latent instability of the air column, a true hurricane vortex
may develop very rapidly. However, it may be pointed out that only a few of these
disturbances develop into hurricanes.

Trade winds from both the hemispheres meet along a line called-the inter-tropical
front. Temperature contrasts between these air masses must exist when the ITCZ is
farthest, from the equator. Thus, the convergence of these winds of different
temperatures and the resulting instability are the prerequisites for the origin and
growth of violent tropical storms.

Upper Air Disturbance:

The remains of an upper tropospheric cyclone from the Westerlies move deep into
the tropical latitude regions. As divergence prevails on the eastern side of the old
abandoned troughs, a rising motion occurs; this leads to the development of
thunderstorms. Further, these old abandoned troughs usually have cold cores,
suggesting that the environmental lapse rate is steeper and unstable below these
troughs. Such instability encourages thunderstorms.

Wind Shear:

The vertical wind shear between the upper and lower layers of the troposphere
should remain at the minimum level. Tropical cyclones develop when the wind is
uniform. Because of weak vertical wind shear, hurricane formation processes are
limited to latitude equator ward of the subtropical jet stream.

Upper Tropospheric Divergence:

A well- developed divergence in the upper layers of the atmosphere is necessary so

that the rising air currents within the cyclone continue to be pumped out and a low
pressure maintained at the centre.

Characteristics:

The main features of tropical cyclones are as follows:

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Size and Shape:

Tropical cyclones have symmetrical elliptical shapes (2:3 ratio of length and
breadth) with steep pressure gradients. They have a compact size—80 km near
centre, which may develop upto 300 km to 1500 km.

Wind Velocity and Strength:

Wind velocity, in a tropical cyclone, is more in poleward margins than at centre and
is more over oceans than over landmasses, which are scattered with physical
barriers. The wind velocity may range from nil to 1200 km per hour.

Orientation and Movement:

These cyclones start with a westward movement, but turn northwards around 20°
latitude. They turn further north-eastwards around 25° latitude, and then
eastwards around 80° latitude. They then lose energy and subside. Tropical
cyclones follow a parabolic path, their axis being parallel to the isobars.

Structure of Tropical Cyclone:

The eye lies at the centre of the cyclone. The diameter of this core varies from 10 to
50 km. The wind speed is minimum and the sky remains generally clear in this
region. Temperature is high due to the descending air currents which heat up by
compression.

The eye wall, surrounding the eye, is made of cumulonimbus clouds, and it is
characterised by winds of maximum velocities. A continuous ring of cumulonimbus
clouds moves vertically. Therefore, the eye wall region witnesses the heaviest
precipitation.

Two spiral bands are located outside the eye wall. A few km wide, they are also
called rainbands or feeder bands. They rotate at speeds ranging from 20 km to 55
km. These regions are marked by high winds and precipitation.

The annular zone is characterised by suppressed cloudiness, fairly high

temperature and low humidity conditions. The outer connective band, found at the
edge of the

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Cloudmass, has external fringe of deep convective clouds. These are produced due
to the instability of air consequent upon converging air movement. A belt of limited
cloud cover is found, away from the main cloudmass.

Other facts:-
 The cyclones level down inequalities of pressure and wind movement over
the globe. They play an important role in the complex process of heat
exchange between various latitudinal zones. Cyclones have a bearing over
the phenomenon of precipitation, especially in mid-latitude regions, by lifting
up the moist air from oceans and taking it into the surrounding landmasses.

 The cyclonic wind movements are anti-clockwise in the northern hemisphere

and clockwise in the southern hemisphere. The cyclones are often
characterised by existence of an anticyclone between two cyclones.
Depending on their area of origin and principal tracks followed, the cyclones
can be either tropical or temperate/extra-tropical.