Profile
Settings
Refer your friends
Sign out
- Definition: Atmospheric rivers are extensive, narrow regions in the atmosphere that transport significant amounts of water vapor, primarily outside the tropics, resembling rivers in the sky.
- Formation Process:
- Atmospheric rivers start over tropical areas where warm temperatures cause ocean water to evaporate.
- This water vapor is carried by strong winds through the atmosphere and, upon reaching land, cools and condenses into precipitation.
- Geographical Occurrence: These phenomena are common
- In the extratropical North Pacific/Atlantic, southeastern Pacific, and South Atlantic oceans, impacting the west coasts of North and South Americas
- Regions like Greenland, Antarctica, and the south-central United States.
- Example: The “Pineapple Express” is a notable atmospheric river originating near Hawaii, known for bringing warm, moist air that can lead to heavy precipitation in the Western United States and Canada, including up to 5 inches of rain in California in a single day.
- Impacts: While they can bring beneficial rain or snow vital for water supply, atmospheric rivers are also associated with severe weather events like flooding, landslides, and mudslides, and can disrupt water supplies or create drought conditions.
Why in News:
- Recently, the state of California in the USA has been dealing with impact of Atmospheric rivers.
