Question

A student reads several science magazines and learns that hurricanes develop in the Atlantic basin to the east of the U.S. and the eastern Pacific basin to the west of the U.S. She also reads that the hurricanes that originate in the Pacific basin rarely make landfall in the U.S. Which factor typically prevents Pacific hurricanes from making landfall in the U.S.?

a) Differences in water temperature and ocean currents
b) High-pressure systems over the U.S.
c) The Coriolis effect
d) The Earth's magnetic field

Answer 1

The correct answer is option (a). Pacific hurricanes rarely make landfall in the U.S. mainly due to differences in water temperature and ocean currents that decrease the energy available to these systems and move them away from the U.S. coastline.

Step-by-step explanation:

The primary factor that typically prevents Pacific hurricanes from making landfall in the U.S. is differences in water temperature and ocean currents.

The warm waters required to fuel hurricanes are present in the western Pacific, but as these systems move away from the equator, the water temperature decreases, and the energy available for the hurricane diminishes.

Additionally, prevailing ocean currents in the Pacific often move these systems westward, away from the U.S. coastline, and towards Asia.

While the Coriolis effect influences the direction of hurricane rotation, it is not the main factor preventing Pacific hurricanes from making landfall in the U.S., and the Earth's magnetic field has no significant impact on the trajectory of hurricanes.