tropical storms

Question 1

what are the 2 requirements for a tropical storm to occur

Answer 1

sea temp is 27 or higher and wind shear between the lower and higher parts of the atmosphere is low (difference in wind speed)

Question 2

how are tropical storms formed

Answer 2

warm surface water evaporates, rises and condenses forming clouds, this releases huge amounts of energy forming powerful storms.
the rising air creates an area of low pressure which increases surface winds.
the low wind shear prevents clouds from breaking up as they rise meaning the storm stays intact
easterly winds move tropical storms towards the west
storms spin due to the Coriolis effect

Question 3

what happens to storms as they go over sea and land

Answer 3

over sea storms strengthen so wind speeds increase and storms over land lose strength due to the energy supply being cut off.

Question 4

features of the eye

Answer 4

caused by decending air - very low pressure - light winds - no clouds - no rain - high temp

Question 5

features of the eye wall

Answer 5

spiralling rising air - very strong winds - torrential rain - low temp

Question 6

how does climate change affect tropical storms

Answer 6

frequency - oceans will stay at at 27 or above for longer each year, meaning more storms each year
distribution - more parts of oceans across the world are rising in temp, meaning tropical storms can form in areas that haven’t yet experienced tropical storms
intensity - more evaporation and increased cloud formation meaning more energy released meaning more powerful storms.

Question 7

how to reduce effects of tropical storms

Answer 7

planning - future development can avoid high risk areas such as low lying coastal areas
protection - buildings can be designed to withstand tropical storms - buildings can also be put on stilts so their safe from floodwater
prediction - storms can be monitored using radar, satellites and aircraft, computer models can then be used to calc a predicted path.