Context:
- Bay Area and other regions of Central and Southern California were recently impacted by strong winds caused by the Fujiwhara effect.
- California witnessed an unusually wet winter, with at least twelve ‘atmospheric river’ storms battering the state.
About Fujiwhara Effect:
- When two hurricanes (or cyclones), spinning in the same direction, are brought close together, they begin ‘an intense dance around their common center’.
- Described by – Japanese meteorologist Sakuhei Fujiwhara
- Reasons –
- Rapid warming of the planet
- Rise in ocean temperatures
- Conditions –
- Eyes at a distance of less than 1,400 km
- Intensity variation between a depression (wind speed under 63 km per hour)
- A super typhoon (wind speed over 209 km per hour).
- Impacts –
- Changes in the track and intensity of either or both storm systems.
- Merging of two storm systems.
Atmospheric rivers:
- They are vast airborne currents carrying dense moisture and hanging low in the atmosphere.
- Part of Earth’s ocean water cycle which come in different shapes and sizes.
- Transports most of the water vapour outside the tropics.
- More frequent on the east coast than west coast.
- Air temperature determines the intensity of atmospheric rivers
- Impacts – Dangerous floods and heavy snow.
- Example – ‘Pineapple Express’
Pineapple Express involves the accumulation of moisture in the tropical Pacific near Hawaii, which can lead to substantial rainfall and snowfall along the West Coasts of the US and Canada. This name originates from the fact that the storm begins in Hawaii, a region where pineapples are cultivated.
Click here to read about El Nino and La Nina
Source: Indian Express
Previous Year Question
The term “Levant” often heard in the news roughly corresponds to which of the following regions?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2022 Prelims]
(a) Region along the eastern Mediterranean shores
(b) Region along North African shores stretching from Egypt to Morocco
(c) Region along Persian Gulf and Horn of Africa
(d) The entire coastal areas of Mediterranean Sea
Answer: (a)
