IIT Kharagpur study tracks northward movement of cyclones
The Times of India (May 21, 2020)
IIT study tracks northward movement of cyclones
KOLKATA: A group of geoscientists from IIT Kharagpur have been studying Amphan right from the time it started seeding over Bay of Bengal as a depression on May 16. The study is examining how pre-monsoon cyclones move towards higher latitudes for a landfall and why such quick intensification typically happens around April-May. The team is studying all cyclones and their trends from 1891 to 2018 to establish trends and patterns.
Similar, studies are being done with the Odisha supercyclone of 1999 and the recent Fani. "Since Amphan travelled longer over the Bay of Bengal, it got time to gather muscle. Amphan followed a track away from the east coast while Fani moved along the coast after its formation," the geoscientists have found. The tropical circulation assisted Amphan in becoming a super cyclone.
These geoscientists belong to the institute's Centre for Ocean, Rivers, Atmosphere and Land Sciences (CORAL) that was formed to assist the ministry of earth sciences to draw inferences from natural calamities. (Read More)