TURBULENCE-1

15,700,000 °K degrees of temperature and pressure ranging from 3.4 × 10⁸ atm to 2.25 × 10¹¹ atm at the core (center) of the sun leaves nothing to chance. The Hydrogen atoms are squeezed into fusion reaction only to be transformed into Helium atoms. This is an exothermic (heat releasing) reaction. The immense energy generated at the core travels towards the corona(outer surface) of the sun and appear in the form of turbulent prominence(solar storm). This solar storm travelling at the speed of 8,000,000 kilometers/hour takes 6 hours to reach the planet mercury. 12 hrs later it reaches the planet Venus and 18 hours later it reaches our planet Earth. This solar storm along with the earth’s orientation causes seasons, these seasons gives rise to turbulence; turbulence on land, turbulence in the air and turbulence at seas.

Fluid dynamics is highly influenced by the variance in temperature and pressure. They cause seasonal changes and set winds in motion. There severity varies from mild to wild. Katrina and Sandy storms Hurricanes are globally notorious for being deadliest, destructive and devastating. The wind velocity reached 280 km/h and the pressure reached 902 mb during the Katrina Hurricane, during the Sandy hurricanes the wind velocity reached to 185 km/h and the pressure to 940 mb. The total fatalities were 1833 and 285 respectively. Eastern coastline of India too faces such storms especially the coastline of Andhra Pradesh. The severity during these storms is at times so high that railway lines, power transmission line and communication lines get stranded and uprooted, damage to life and property is significantly high.

India faces two wind currents from diagonally opposite directions. The South West current starting from the Indian Ocean touches the Western and Northern parts of India during summer. The other current is the North-Eastern current which start from the Gobi desert and touch the Eastern and Southern parts of India.

India and Saudi Arabia both are in the Northern Hemisphere but the summer in India ends up in the month of May where as in Saudi Arabia it ends in the month of October. In Saudi Arabia the first signs of wind storms are when one senses the smell of sand in the air. At the time of writing this article It has been windy for few weeks in Jubail. When I get down to my car for going to my office, I see a thin layer of fine sand settled on the glasses of my car every day. While on my way on the highway I see small streams of sand flowing along with the wind on the road, at times when the wind is strong one can feel the drag. One’s car would sway a bit demanding caution. If the severity increases the vision gets impaired and driving becomes difficult. One has to slow down, if not, there are chances of being a victim of roadside casualties. The size of the sand particles is so fine that it remains suspended in air for two to three day causing throat infection, fever etcetera. See you next time with the article Turbulence-2