Beauty Michelle

2001/11/08 Elhuyar Zientzia

• Klima

Hurricanes once again shake the Caribbean. In recent days Hurricane Michelle has caused many damage. In Cuba, for example, about 700,000 people have had to leave their homes. But it cannot be denied that the images the satellite receives are beautiful.

Hurricanes are necessary in the Earth's atmosphere as they transport heat and energy from the equator to colder territories around the poles. The hurricane occurs when the hot sea warms the air over it, when the hot and humid air rises rapidly in column. In this way, it forms a low pressure zone on the surface and the wind that circulates through the area is directed quickly towards that low pressure zone. The inner spiral air tends upward and as it descends it releases heat and moisture.

The conversion of normal storms into hurricanes depends on the existence of a source of hot air (in this case the tropical ocean at surface temperatures above 26ºC) and the existence of a force of rotation (Coriolis force) dependent on the latitude of the Earth, which allows its air conditioning. Normally these hurricanes are born in West Africa and reach the Caribbean across the Atlantic.

Such tropical storms are called hurricanes in the Atlantic, but in the Pacific typhoon and cyclone in the Indian Ocean. The hurricane season extends mainly between July and October, when the temperature of the Atlantic is higher. However, typhoons and cyclones occur between November and March.

Anyone who wants information about the origin and anatomy of hurricanes can find an interesting graph on the World website.