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Origin of Cyclones

Abstract

IN NATURE of 23rd of June, 1871, there is an account of a paper, by Mr. Meldrum, on the origin of storms in the Bay of Bengal, showing reason to believe that the cyclones of the Bay of Bengal and the Southern Indian Ocean originate in the meeting of the trade-winds of the northern and southern hemispheres at some distance north or south of the equator. I do not know of any equally complete, evidence on the subject for the cyclones of other parts of the world, but there is very strong reason for thinking that they always so originate. The line along which the two trade-winds meet each other approximately coincides with the equator: when it actually or nearly coincides with the equator, no cyclones are formed, because the rotation of a cyclone depends on that of the earth, and the earth at the equator has no rotation round an axis drawn vertical to the horizon. Over the greater part of the Pacific, cyclones do not appear to be formed: the reason of this probably is, that in consequence of the temperature of the sea changing but little with the seasons, the two trade-winds over the Pacific meet each other nearly on the equator all the year round; though I do not know how far this is confirmed by observations on the winds of that ocean. But we know that in the Indian Ocean the trade-winds cross the equator and are deflected into monsoons, so that in the summer of the northern hemisphere they meet to the north of the equator, and in the summer of the southern hemisphere they meet to the south. (This statement as to seasons will have to be qualified presently.)

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MURPHY, J. Origin of Cyclones. Nature 4, 305–306 (1871). https://doi.org/10.1038/004305f0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/004305f0

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