The impact that cyclones have on the Earth's surface
by Richard
Conan-Davies
14 February 2006
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There are two main parts of the Earth's surface that cyclones affect.
Land - the obvious is the the land closest to the sea. Usually the land is subjected to high winds but also rain. This can result in flooding of low lying areas. The parts that join the land with the sea such as the coast might suffer erosion. For example sand may be washed away leaving bare rocks.
The wind along the coasts might tear down trees and cause damage to buildings. But sometimes the wind might help to disperse seeds (eg coconuts, and mangrove pods)
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Cyclones can cause flooding further inland many kilometres away from the main storm |
Coral reefs can often be damaged. Most
reefs can cope but if cyclones are too frequent
then they don't have time to recover and could
die.
Sea - the sea is typically suffers large
waves which can cause problems for ships travelling
in the area. The extra rainfall can dilute a part
of the upper level of the water but this might not
be a problem as the sea is being churned up all the
time.
In extreme cases a tornado can form over
the sea and suck fish out of the sea and send them
flying inland causing 'fish to rain down'
Animals that live on the land
might be affected such as having their burrows
flooded. For example a wombat.
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