Chapter #12 Solutions - Understanding Weather and Climate - James E Burt, Edward Aguado - 7th Edition

1c. What are hurricanes called in the Pacific Ocean? The Indian Ocean? Get solution

1ct. Why don’t hurricanes cross the equator? Get solution

1. Compare the area of a hurricane that measures 600 km in diameter to a midlatitude cyclone having a diameter of three times greater (1800 km). Get solution

1rq. Describe the geographic distribution of hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones. What environmental conditions at these locations favor the development of such storms? Get solution

1va. Observe the maps showing the areas of maximum sustained wind speeds (Figure VA-12-1) and height of flooding (Figure VA-12-2) as Superstorm Sandy made landfall along the East Coast.How did the wind speeds vary on either side of Sandy’s path?FIGURE VA-12-1 Sandy’s Winds. The map shows the maximum sustained wind speeds measured during Hurricane Sandy's northward progress along the coast....FIGURE VA-12-2 Sandy’s Storm Surge. The map shows the height of the storm surge as Hurricane Sandy made landfall.... Get solution

2c. What is the role of the trade wind inversion in the development of hurricanes along the western parts of ocean basins? Explain. Get solution

2ct. If two hurricanes pass just to the west of Cuba over a two-week period, what reasons might one have for expecting the second one to be weaker than the first? Get solution

2. During the tropical storm season, use the websites described in the Useful Websites section to note the positions of current systems and the probabilities of landfall at various coastal locations. Describe how successful the predictions proved to be. Get solution

2rq. Which region has the greatest incidence of major tropical storms? Get solution

2va. Observe the maps showing the areas of maximum sustained wind speeds (Figure VA-12-1) and height of flooding (Figure VA-12-2) as Superstorm Sandy made landfall along the East Coast.Which areas of the Mid-Atlantic coast had the greatest i inundation?FIGURE VA-12-1 Sandy’s Winds. The map shows the maximum sustained wind speeds measured during Hurricane Sandy's northward progress along the coast....FIGURE VA-12-2 Sandy’s Storm Surge. The map shows the height of the storm surge as Hurricane Sandy made landfall.... Get solution

3c. What is a hurricane’s source of energy? Get solution

3ct. How might previous drought conditions affect the intensity of a former hurricane as it passes over the southern United States? Get solution

3. Refer to the forecast for the upcoming tropical storm season at. What exisring conditions have led the forecast team to make its prediction? Also, use this website to determine how successful last year’s forecast was. Get solution

3rq. What is the trade wind inversion, and what impact does it have on the formation of hurricanes? Get solution

3va. Observe the maps showing the areas of maximum sustained wind speeds (Figure VA-12-1) and height of flooding (Figure VA-12-2) as Superstorm Sandy made landfall along the East Coast.What factors contributed to the patterns of wind speed and flooding height you observe on the maps?FIGURE VA-12-1 Sandy’s Winds. The map shows the maximum sustained wind speeds measured during Hurricane Sandy's northward progress along the coast....FIGURE VA-12-2 Sandy’s Storm Surge. The map shows the height of the storm surge as Hurricane Sandy made landfall.... Get solution

4c. What two factors explain the spatial and temporal distribution of hurricanes? Get solution

4ct. El Nino conditions are believed to suppress hurricane development in the Atlantic. How might the phenomenon affect hurricane formation and movement in the Pacific? Get solution

4. Refer to and read the Special Reports on the past year’s hurricane activity. Were any tropical storms particularly noteworthy? Get solution

4rq. Describe the size, sea-level air pressure, and wind speed of a typical hurricane. Get solution

5c. Where in a hurricane would you find ascending air? Descending air? Get solution

5ct. It has been postulated that an increase in global temperatures could lead to an increase in the number and intensity of tropical storms and hurricanes. Global temperatures were particularly high during the 1990s and early 2000s, and there has been an increase in Atlantic hurricane activity since 1995. Does this association prove the connection between temperature and hurricane activity? Explain why or why not. Get solution

5rq. When are hurricanes most likely to form? Get solution

6c. What are some of the major changes that can occur in a hurricane that are associated with weakening or intensification? Get solution

6ct. If global warming continues, thermal expansion of the oceans and the melting of glaciers and ice sheets will lead to a higher sea level, How would this affect the threat of storm surges relative to wind damage and flooding? Get solution

6rq. Describe the cloud and precipitation patterns associated with hurricanes, including those associated with the eye and eye wall. Get solution

7c. What initial conditions are necessary to begin the process of hurricane formation? Get solution

7ct. Experts believe that New York City is the third most dangerous city in the United States with regard to hurricanes, despite the fact that there has been no major hurricane-inflicted damage on the area (other than some wind damage and coastal erosion from Hurricane Gloria in 1985) and the more recent damage from Sandy, What factors could be responsible for this vulnerability? After answering this question, refer to www2.sunysuffolk.edu/mandias/38hurrcaue for an informative discussion of this issue. Get solution

7rq. Describe the various ways in which hurricanes differ from midlatitude cyclones. Get solution

8c. What makes a hurricane self-propagating? Get solution

8rq. What are tropical disturbances, and how do easterly waves influence them? Get solution

9c. What factors could cut off or limit the intensification of a developing hurricane? Explain. Get solution

9rq. Describe the characteristics that distinguish tropical disturbances, tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes from one another. Get solution

10c. In what ways do hurricanes cause fatalities and destruction? Get solution

10rq. What ocean surface characteristics are required for the intensification of storms into hurricanes and the maintenance of hurricanes? Get solution

11c. Why does the side of a hurricane relative to its direction of movement matter to coastal communities? Get solution

11rq. Is there a “typical” path that hurricanes take after forming? Explain. Get solution

12c. When are hurricane watches and warnings issued? Get solution

12rq. What feature associated with hurricanes causes the greatest destruction to coastal regions? Is this also true of inland regions? Get solution

13c. Describe the scale used to categorize the intensity of hurricanes. Get solution

13rq. Why is the right-hand side of a hurricane (relative to its direction of movement) the most dangerous? Get solution

14c. What multiple-year oscillation pattern of Atlantic sea surface temperatures may have impacted hurricane activity in recent decades? Get solution

14rq. Where are tornadoes most likely to be embedded in a hurricane? Get solution

15c. What is the current consensus on how global warming might be changing hurricane characteristics? Get solution

15rq. What are hurricane watches and warnings? Are they exact corollaries to tornado watches and warnings? Get solution

16rq. Why are forecasters concerned with issuing hurricane advisories for areas that do not eventually get hit? Get solution

17rq. What is the highest hurricane category on the Saffir-Simpson scale? How frequently do hurricanes of that magnitude occur? Get solution