ISSN 00014338, Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics, 2012, Vol. 48, No. 9, pp. 871–878. © Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2012. Original Russian Text © V.G. Bondur, S.A. Pulinets, 2012, published in Issledovanie Zemli iz Kosmosa, 2012, No. 3, pp. 3–11. 871 INTRODUCTION The theory of incipience and intensification of tropical cyclones (TCs) was formed first within the classical atmospheric hydro and thermodynamics [Golitsyn, 1973; Shuleikin, 1978]; the simulation was carried out with the use of preset input atmospheric parameters, which are not always known at the instant of TC incipience. Elements of nonlinear simulation were introduced later [Yaroshevich and Ingel, 2004; Erokhin et al., 2007]. The possibility of choosing the parameters of the generalized nonlinear model allowed an analysis of the temporal dynamics of a vor tex, including the length of TC life cycle stages, maxi mal wind velocity, and so on. The use of mesoscale atmospheric models provided for a significant increase in the quality of TC dynamics forecasts [Hoffman et al., 2006; Kafatos et al., 2006], including variations in their motion directions in the presence of spatial anisotropy of a temperature field. The role of ioniza tion on the Earth’s surface (natural Earth radioactiv ity) [Karelin, 2009; Bondur et al., 2009] and in the tropopause (galactic cosmic rays) [Bondur et al., 2008a; 2009] is of growing interest. Experimental results from flights of airborne labo ratories inside TCs, from the space monitoring of these natural disasters, and from simulation make it possible to introduce the concept of atmospheric motion helicity and the development of a nonlinear theory of inverse cascade (the formation of largescale structures from those of a smaller scale) to describe the dynamics of the development of these natural disasters [Levina and Montgomery, 2010]. In this work, we try to consider the problems of TC dynamics on the basis of results of earlier studies and the authors' works on the study of the TC effect on the Earth’s atmosphere and ionosphere with the use of space data [Bondur et al., 2008a, b; 2009; Bondur and Vasyakin, 2011; 2012; Pulinets et al., 1998; Pulinets and Lui, 2004; Pulinets et al., 2006]. CLASSICAL THEORIES OF TROPICAL HURRICANES Mathematical models for calculating the parame ters of temporal dynamics of TCs were developed in earlier works (see, e.g., [Shuleikin et al., 1978]) on the Effect of Mesoscale Atmospheric Vortex Processes on the Upper Atmosphere and Ionosphere of the Earth V. G. Bondur and S. A. Pulinets Institute for Scientific Research of Aerospace Monitoring AEROCOSMOS, Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation and Russain Academy of Sciences email: vgbondur@aerocosmos.info Received February 3, 2012 Abstract—The mechanisms of incipience and intensification of dangerous atmospheric vortex processes such as tropical cyclones (TCs) and their interaction with the Earth’s ionosphere are considered. Different models of TCs are analyzed, including models taking into account the ionization processes. The mechanisms taking into account the spiral field of velocities during TC formation are analyzed, as are the physical mech anism that explains the statistical correlation between shortterm variations in galactic cosmic rays (Forbush decreases) and the frequency of incipience and the intensification of TCs. It is shown that such an effect is conditioned by a decrease in the ionproduction rate during Forbush decreases against the tropopause and, hence, a decrease in the temperature upon the top of the ionosphere altitude because of a decrease in the latent heat release due to watervapor condensation on the newly formed ions. This process leads to an increase in the temperature difference between the ocean surface and the top level of TCs and, respectively, to the intensification of vertical convection, which results in cyclone intensification. It is concluded that the study of these mesoscale vortex processes requires taking into account not only the hydrodynamical features of these formations, but also their thermodynamical and electrodynamical properties. The results are impor tant for the organization of studying and monitoring TCs with the use of spaceborne techniques. Keywords: mesoscale atmospheric processes, tropical cyclones, vortex formations, atmosphere, ionosphere, space monitoring DOI: 10.1134/S0001433812090034