GS Paper 1:
Topics Covered: Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclones etc.
Context:
Asani is a cyclonic storm originating in the Bay of Bengal which would hit the Easter Coastal Plains of India, mainly the regions of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
Cyclone Asani – Facts:
- Who named it? Sri Lanka. asani means wrath in sinhalese.
- Formed in Bay of Bengal.
- Asani will be the first cyclonic storm of the season.
- What would be the name of the next cyclone? The cyclone that will form after Asani will be called Sitrang, a name given by Thailand.
What are tropical cyclones? How are they named?
- Reference: read this.
Naming of Cyclones:
Cyclones are named by the regional specialised meteorological centres (RSMCs) and Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs) in every ocean basin across the world.
- There are six RSMCs in the world that also includes the India Meteorological Department (IMD), and a total of five TCWCs.
- As an RSMC, the IMD names the cyclones which develop over the north Indian Ocean, including the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea, after following a standard procedure.
- The IMD is also mandated to issue advisories to 12 other countries in the region on the development of cyclones and storms.
- These include Bangladesh, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.
Significance of naming:
It helps the scientific community, the media and disaster managers to create awareness of the development, for rapidly disseminating warnings to increase community preparedness and remove confusion where there are multiple cyclonic systems over a region.
Most recent list:
- The most recent list released in 2020 has 169 names, including 13 names each from 13 countries. Earlier, eight countries had given 64 names.
- Names from India that have been used include Gati (speed), Megh (cloud), Akash (sky).
Insta Curious:
Did you know that if the storm’s wind speed reaches or crosses this mark, it is then classified into a hurricane/cyclone/typhoon? What’s the difference between hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons? Reference: read this.
InstaLinks:
Prelims Link:
- Factors responsible for the genesis of cyclones.
- Naming of cyclones in various regions of the world.
- Why are there more cyclones in Eastern coast of India?
- What is coriolis force?
- What is the latent heat of condensation?
Mains Link:
Discuss the factors responsible for the formation of tropical cyclones.
Try this Question:
Asani is a cyclonic storm originating in the Bay of Bengal. The name was given by:
- Sri Lanka.
- Bangladesh.
- India.
- None of the above.
Sources: the Hindu.
