Question

How do sea surface temperatures affect evaporation rate?

Answer 1

Answer: The temperature doesn't affect the evaporation rate, but affects on how much of water a parcel of air can contain when saturated which is known by the absolute humidity. Hurricanes are usually happening when the temperature of the sea water west of the Cape Verde islands is over 27 degrees Celsius. If ahead of the path of a hurricane, the sea water temperature drops then it will be less moisture in the air and perhaps the hurricane will fade out. But it is not as simple. How strong a tropical storm is is relative to the difference of temperture between ground level and the top of the troposphere. The greater the difference, the faster the air will rise and the deeper the pressure will be, forcing surrounding air to rush in, thus forming a hurricane force wind. Then there is the fact that the wet adiabatic lapse rate is about half that of dry air. It means that rising moist air cools down slower and therefore rises higher. Hence water is the true fuel of bad weather. But it can't be isolated from the fact that the difference of temperature must be great too. What we often forget is that the tropopause (the border to the stratosphere) is much higher over the equator and therefore, much colder than e.g. the poles.