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1.03 project: natural hazards
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Hurricanes
By: Shayna McDonald
01/18/19
Hurricanes
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Hurricanes are intense low pressure areas that form over warm ocean waters in the summer and early fall. Their source of energy is water vapor which is evaporated from the ocean surface.
Water vapor is the "fuel" for the hurricanes because it releases the "latent heat of condensation" when it condenses to form clouds and rain, warming the surrounding air. (This heat energy was absorbed by the water vapor when it was evaporated from the warm ocean surface, cooling the ocean in the process.)
Usually, the heat released in this way in tropical thunderstorms is carried away by wind shear, which blows the top off the thunderstorms. But when there is little wind shear, this heat can build up, causing low pressure to form. The low pressure causes wind to begin to spiral inward toward the center of the low.
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Where Hurricanes Occur
Hurricanes are by far most common in the Pacific Ocean, with the western Pacific being most active. In some years, the Philippines are struck by more than 20 tropical storms and typhoons. The term applied to various storms depends on their location.
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How Hurricanes Are Created
Hurricanes begin as tropical storms over the warm moist waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans near the equator. (As the moisture evaporates it rises until enormous amounts of heated moist air are twisted high in the atmosphere. The winds begin to circle counterclockwise north of the equator or clockwise south of the equator. The reatively peaceful center of the hurricane is called the eye. Around this center winds move at speeds between 74 and 200 miles per hour. As long as the hurricane remains over waters of 79F or warmer, it continues to pull moisture from the surface and grow in size and force. When a hurricane crosses land or cooler waters, it loses its source of power, and its wind gradually slow until they are no longer of hurricane force--less than 74 miles per hour.
The Impact Hurricanes Have On The Environment
By changing environmental conditions in coastal habitats, hurricanes cause a cascade of direct and indirect ecological responses that range from immediate to long-term. In terms of environmental effects, no two hurricanes are alike. Individual characteristics, such as the storm’s forward speed, size, intensity, and amount of precipitation, play a large role in the type and temporal extent of a hurricane’s impact. Depending on many of these factors, even tropical storms can cause severe damage to property and natural resources.
The Impact Hurricanes Have On Humans
Hurricanes may affect human beings in a number of ways including causing deaths, causing injury, loss of property, outbreak of diseases, mental trauma and destroying livelihoods. Hurricanes are some of the most devastating natural disasters on the planet.
Hurricanes normally involve very powerful winds and water which end up causing massive destruction. Below are some details pertaining to the effects of hurricanes on human beings.
Trauma - When human beings experience devastation such as is caused by hurricanes, they tend to feel traumatized. Young children are especially affected and may need counseling to start the healing process.
Property destruction - Hurricanes tend to destroy countless buildings leading to huge losses for owners. It also takes quite a lot of time to rebuild a region affected by this disaster.
Outbreak of diseases - It is quite common to witness outbreak of diseases when hurricanes have been experienced. This is because water sanitation and supply is compromised while health facilities may also be destroyed.
Deaths - Several deaths are normally recorded after hurricanes hit areas that have human population. It is also common to have countless number of people being injured.
Loss of livelihoods - After the destruction, many people end up losing jobs since their workplaces are destroyed. This could lead to further complications as they have to depend on others for aid.
Miami Hurricane of 1926
Miami Hurricane of 1926--This storm hit at the worst possible time for the fledgling city. Incorporated in 1896 following the extension of the Florida East Coast Railway by Henry Flagler, the city of Miami was at the end of its first boom period early in 1926. The storm also served as a lesson for those wishing to go outside during the eye's passage. Forming a few hundred miles to the East of the Lesser Antilles on September 12th, the storm passed to the north of Puerto Rico on September 15th. Accompanied by a late issued hurricane warning, the storm arrived in Miami on the morning of September 18th. Winds peaked at 128 mph, and the pressure in Miami fell to 27.61 inches of Hg, or 935 millibars. The storm surge ranged from eight to fifteen feet, and caused $150 million dollars in damage then, or $1.7 billion today. If a similar storm hit the Miami area today, it would cause an astronomical $87 billion in damage.
References
1. Hurricanes: Science and Society
http://hurricanescience.org/society/impacts/
Date accessed: January 17,2019
2. Hurricane Impacts on the Coastal Environment
https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/hurricane-impacts/
Date accessed: January 17, 2019
3. NASA Space Place-Explore Earth and Space
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/hurricanes/en/
Date accessed: January 17, 2019
4. AccuWeather
https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-blogs/hurricanefacts/when-and-where-do-hurricanes-o/31028
Date accessed: January 17, 2019