Affiliation:
1. University of Cambridge , Cambridge, UK
Abstract
Abstract
Tropical cyclones are the largest, and most destructive, vortices that can form on the surface of the earth. This chapter reviews the conditions under which they form, as well as the observational evidence as to their structure. Real tropical cyclones are powered by evaporation from the warm tropical seas, but a simple cartoon of a ‘dry’ cyclone can reveal useful information about the fluid mechanics at work within a tropical cyclone. Despite their destructive power, and almost a century of scientific research, tropical cyclones are still poorly understood and remain a topic of intense debate.
Publisher
Oxford University PressOxford