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Tropical Cyclones - genesis depends on ocean conditions - huge removal of heat energy from ocean - damage primarily from storm surge caused by strong.

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Presentation on theme: "Tropical Cyclones - genesis depends on ocean conditions - huge removal of heat energy from ocean - damage primarily from storm surge caused by strong."— Presentation transcript:

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2 Tropical Cyclones - genesis depends on ocean conditions - huge removal of heat energy from ocean - damage primarily from storm surge caused by strong winds Geography 104 - “Physical Geography of the World’s Oceans”

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4 High and Low Pressure Systems

5 warm and cold fronts general east-west movement following jet stream cold front usually more intense

6 largest most intense storm systems are not fronts, but huge rotating masses of low pressure known as tropical cyclones paths taken by hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons (following trade winds in east to west direction)

7 Tracks of all tropical cyclones, 1985-2005 Source: Wikipedia

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9 hurricane Katrina (2005) “The energy in a single hurricane is greater than that generated by all energy sources in the United States over the last 20 years.” Essentials of Oceanography Textbook

10 hurricane structure powered by the release of vast amounts of water’s latent heat (condensation) hurricane process: 1. low pressure system 2. moisture from ocean 3. warm moist air rises 4. heat from condensation 5. warm air rises further 6. surface pressure lowers 7. go to 2. typical diameter < ~100 miles

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12 hurricane intensity scale tropical depression < 38 mph tropical storm 38 – 74 mph tropical cyclone (hurricane)

13 MODIS Image of Hurricane Katrina (28 Aug 2005 - 1700 UTC)

14 track of hurricane Katrina

15 MODIS Image of hurricane Rita – 21 Sept. 2005

16 storm track: Hurricane Rita

17 storm surge – hurricane Rita 21 Sept. 2005 26 Sept. 2005

18 flooding from storm surge during Katrina

19 http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2007-10-06 Typhoon Krosa: 1-8 October 2007 http://earth.esa.int/ew/cyclones/Typhoon_Krosa-oct07/ -18 killed on Taiwan - China evacuates 1.4 million in Zhejiang and Fujian provinces

20 Sea Surface Temperature (SST) Anomaly and Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Counts (Mann & Emanuel, 2006) - SST and Atlantic hurricanes on the recent increase due to climate change

21 Atlantic Hurricane Tracks 2005 and 1933 (Landsea, 2007) - increased Atlantic hurricane frequency from new observational technologies

22 Number of Atlantic tropical cyclones that struck land versus number that stayed over the open ocean. The solid line is the 1900–2006 long-term mean of 9.2 per year. ( Landsea, 2007)

23 Percentage of all reported Atlantic tropical cyclones that struck land. (Landsea, 2007)

24 QuikSCAT Satellite – a microwave radar for measuring surface winds

25 Quickscat launch – 19 June 1999

26 wind speed from Quickscat (ascending pass)

27 wind speed from Quickscat (descending pass)

28 Hurricanes Strongly Mix the Upper Ocean

29 SST Change

30 Hurricane Francis (2004); ocean profiles before and after - huge removal of heat from the ocean

31 Readings (Ocean and Atmosphere): Text Chapter 8 (pgs 138 – 163) Reader pgs. 51 - 61 Reader Maps pgs 200 - 204 Midterm on Wednesday 5 Nov 2008


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