Storm in the ocean. Causes and consequences

More than half of the Earth's surface is covered with water. Without it, all life can not exist. And yet this environment is also deadly. Scientists believe that the ocean has not been studied well enough.

The storm in the ocean and the sea is a pretty, even fascinating sight. And at the same time, this is a dangerous weather phenomenon.

Storm in the ocean. What is this phenomenon?

For ships, ships, trawlers and other ships, a storm is always a great danger and stress. And for passengers it is more terrible than doubly, since most of them first fall into the endless expanses of the raging ocean.

All natural cataclysms of this kind (cyclones, typhoons, hurricanes) appear, as a rule, when warm waters of the tropics contribute to an increase in the intensity of wet storms in the ocean. In the process of strengthening the storm front, the rotation of its huge masses begins. A spiral is formed, twisting clockwise. This process causes, in turn, wind. Their speed reaches 322 km / h. They contribute to the swirling of giant waves on the surface of the sea or the ocean. And they are already falling with great force on the coast.

To get into a storm in the ocean or on the sea is a horrific phenomenon. The height of waves is from 5 to 17 meters. Visibility at that time is almost zero, since the air is filled with a lot of small droplets of water and foam.

With a deafening crash, high waves crash to the surface of the ocean. In this regard, the people on the site of the storm almost do not hear anything.

Classification of storms

Classify the force of the storm according to the famous Beaufort Scale.

Sir Francis Beaufort (1774-1857 gg.) - English hydrograph and cartographer, military admiral. He is the author of a 12-point scale for estimating wind speed (on the effect of wind on objects on the surface of the earth and on the disturbance of water in the sea or the ocean). On the British Navy, this scale was adopted in 1838, and later recognized by sailors around the world.

At a wind speed of 20.8-24.4 m / s, a storm is assigned a 9-point value. Such a storm is considered weak.

With a stronger wind at a speed of up to 28.4 m / s, it is called strong, and it is assigned a 10-point value.

Photo of the storm in the ocean you can see below.

There is still a severe storm (11 points), when the air flows move at an even faster rate (up to 32.6 m / s). The storm in the ocean (12 points) with a wind speed of more than 32.6 m / s is the most dangerous natural phenomenon - a hurricane.

Pacific Ocean. Is it really quiet?

The most majestic and largest ocean of the planet does not match its character with the name. The name "Quiet" he received from Ferdinand Magellan, who was very mistaken about the calmness on the ocean. He just got lucky. There was no storm in the Pacific at the time when he was traveling on it.

The Pacific Ocean occupies about half of the planet's water surface (46%). If conventionally combine the entire surface of the land, its area will also be less than the water surface of the great Pacific Ocean.

The ocean is unsettled due to the fact that volcanic eruptions and earthquakes often occur here. Because of this, huge tsunamis form in the ocean. The average speed of giant waves can reach 750 km / h.

The consequences of a storm in the ocean

The storm in the ocean is one of the greatest threats to the lives of people living on the coast. And communities living in the tropics face even more severe natural disasters.

The consequences of almost all the storms in the ocean and the accompanying torrential rains are incredibly terrible. In connection with the global warming of the climate on Earth, storms will occur more often and will be more catastrophic.

On the islands of the Caribbean Sea, an annual cyclonic storm in the ocean (Hurricane Alley) rages from summer to autumn. It is difficult for poor people of these islands to resist such a powerful hurricane.

In 2003, the wind speed at the Zoey cyclone reached 285 km / h. This hurricane destroyed almost everything on the island of Anuta.

Signs of the storm approaching

The very first signs appear in the sky. The sky turns bright red at sunrise or sunset. These are light clouds moving in front of the cyclone, painted in the sun.

Gradually the sky becomes bright copper-red, and on the horizon a dark strip appears in the distance. There comes an ominous silence (the wind ceases). The air becomes hotter and more stuffy. Birds flock to the interior of the continent.

Ironically, the most terrible hurricanes have female names. For example, Hurricane Katrina is the most terrible devastating hurricane in the history of US storms. In August 2005, he caused great damage to New Orleans in Louisiana. After it, almost 80% of the city's territory was under water. This natural disaster claimed 1836 lives, and the economic damage amounted to 125 billion dollars.