Term Paper on "Formation of a Tornado"

Term Paper 4 pages (1235 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

In this way a very strong spiraling tendency is created, due to shooting momentum. This finally makes a vortex. In a tornado, the same sort of thing happens, except with air instead of water.

FORMATION OF A TORNADO.

Tornadoes are most often generated by giant size thunderstorms. Typically a thunderstorm cloud can accumulate a huge amount of energy. Under certain conditions, this energy creates an upward pull in the cloud. As clouds form due to the condensation of water vapor in the air. This change in water's physical state releases heat-which is a form of energy. Thus greater condensation accounts for massive energy in a thunderstorm. According to Encyclopedia Britannica:

"For every gram of water condensed, about 600 calories of heat are made available. When the water freezes in the upper parts of the cloud, another 80 calories of heat per gram of water are released. This energy goes to increase the temperature of the updraft and, in part, is converted to kinetic energy of upward and downward air movement. If the quantity of water that is condensed in and subsequently precipitated from a cloud is known, then the total energy of a thunderstorm can be calculated. In an average thunderstorm, the energy released amounts to about 10,000,000 kilowatt-hours, which is equivalent to a 20-kiloton nuclear warhead. A large, severe thunderstorm might be 10 to 100 times more energetic. "

Thunderstorms of such a massive gait are known as "supercells." (Wollard, 1999) These colossal, powerful and highly organized storms when get warm and moist air along the ground rush upwards meeting cooler drier air. As this rising warm air cools, its moisture condenses, resulting into a massive thundercloud, sometimes it grows to as much as 50,000 feet in vertical length. At different levels of the atmosphere, varying winds feed the updraft and cause the formation of a funnel-shape, characteristic of a tornado. The updraft in supercell thunderstorms is very strong (Wollard, 1999). If they are strong enough, a vortex, similar to the one water forms in a sink, is formed. An air vortex under such a thunderstorm cloud is called tornado.

A tornado extends out of a thundercloud as a huge, swirling rope of air hung from the sky, commonly achieving the speed of 200 to 300 mph. If this vortex touches the ground, the dynamism is both magnificent and awesome. Accordingly, it is capable of bringing about tremendous damage.

A tornado follows the pathway taken by the parent thundercloud, and it will often appear to be leaping in midair. This leaping is referred as hop by meteorologists and it occurs when the vortex is disturbed by any external element on the ground it hits. Due to the high momentum, the vortex gets easily disturbed by any obstacle causing it to form and collapse along its path. Scientists have unanimously pronounced tornadoes as being the most mysterious and the scariest of the storms.

Grossly around 800 twisters hit United States each year. However, Most are of benign degree, but a few critical "killer" storms loaded with winds of up to 300 mph, become consequence of mass destruction, death and wreckage of anything that comes in way. Tornado Alley, the country's most affected area has a tornado season in spring and summer. (Pine, 1998) However, Tornadoes can develop at any part of the world under the aforementioned specific conditions.

Reference:

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2005, Columbia University Press.

Kirsten Weir, Mister Twister: Josh Wurman chases tornadoes across the U.S. countryside. Current Science, April 16, 2004

"The tornado core and the condensation funnel." Encyclopedia Britannica. 2005. pg 23-25

Kathy Wollard, Tornadoes form from 'supercells' into a column of… READ MORE

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