Waterspout is a rotating column of air that occurs over ocean., UPSC.

Waterspout

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Context: At least one man died and six people are missing after a luxury yacht sank was hit by a violent storm off the coast of Sicily, Italy

Details

What are waterspouts?

A waterspout is a column of cloud-filled wind rotating over a body of water.

Size and Duration of occurrence

The average spout is around 50 meters (165 feet) in diameter, with wind speeds of 80 kilometers per hour (50 miles per hour), corresponding to the weakest types of tornadoes on land.
The largest waterspouts can have diameters of 100 meters (330 feet).
last for up to one hour, though the average lifetime is just five to 10 minutes..

What are the types of waterspouts?

There are two types of waterspouts: Tornadic waterspouts and Fair-weather waterspouts.

Tornadic waterspouts

Tornadic waterspouts get their start as true tornadoes.
Influenced by winds associated with severe thunderstorms, air rises and rotates on a vertical axis.
Tornadic waterspouts are the most powerful and destructive type of waterspout.

Fair-weather waterspouts

Fair-weather waterspouts, however, are much more common.
The clouds from which they descend are not fast-moving, so fair-weather waterspouts are often
Fair-weather waterspouts are associated with developing storm systems, but not storms themselves.
Fair-weather waterspouts are rarely dangerous.

Mechanism and regions of formation.

Both tornadic and fair-weather waterspouts require high levels of humidity and a relatively warm water temperature compared to the overlying air.
Waterspouts are most common in tropical and subtropical warm tropical ocean waters also form over large lakes.
Regions like: the Florida Keys, the islands of Greece, and off the east coast of Australia.

There are five stages of waterspout formation:

Dark spot.The surface of the water takes on a dark appearance where the vortex, or column of rotating wind, reaches it.
Spiral pattern.Light and dark bands spiral out from the dark spot.
Spray ring.A swirling ring of sea spray called a cascade forms around the dark spot. It appears to have an eye at the center, similar to that seen in a hurricane.
Mature vortex.The waterspout is now at its most intense stage, visible from the surface of the water to the clouds overhead. It appears to have a hollow funnel and may be surrounded by vapor.
When the flow of warm air into the vortex weakens, the waterspout collapses.

Is water spout contain water from ocean?

Despite its name, a waterspout is not filled with water from the oceanor lake.
A waterspout descendsfrom a cumulus
It does not "spout" from the water.
The water inside a waterspout is formed by condensationin the cloud.

Is the frequency of waterspouts increasing in recent years?

Due to increase in ocean surface temperature, the frequency of waterspouts is increasing.
A study by scientists, looking at waterspouts around the Balearic Islands, found that they are more likely when the sea surface is very warm.
Currently, the sea surface in the region of Sicily is about 2.5 to 3 degrees Celsius warmer than the 1990-2020 average.

Sicily Island

Sicily is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe.
Capital city of
Sicily has a rich and unique culture in arts, music, literature, cuisine, and architecture.
Its most prominent landmark is Mount Etna, the tallest active volcano in Europe, and one of the most active in the world, currently 3,357 m (11,014 ft) high.
The island has a typical Mediterranean climate.