Warming Oceans Fuel Hurricanes
A firm link has been established between warming oceans and hurricane intensity (more | search), as scientists report in a new study that rising sea surface temperatures are the primary factor fueling a 35-year trend of stronger, more intense hurricanes. And in the North Atlantic Ocean basin warming is also increasing the number of hurricanes. Natural cycles can not explain the trends in stronger and more frequent hurricanes because the cycles are different for each basin. "This is not natural variability."
LA Times: "Of all the factors that drive a major storm — such as humidity, wind shear or broad air circulation patterns — only the steady increase in sea surface temperatures over the last 35 years can account for the rising strength of tempests in six ocean basins around the world, including the North Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology reported."
"Their research revealed that the increase in the most severe storms — category 4 and 5 hurricanes have doubled since 1990 — was directly linked to the rising temperature of tropical oceans, which warmed globally by 1 degree Fahrenheit during the same period. Warm water vapor rising from the sea helps energize massive storms."
Guardian: "The study comes in answer to critics, mostly scientists involved in hurricane prediction, of previous research. They argued that local factors such as the difference in wind direction at various altitudes (known as wind shear) would swamp any effect of warmer oceans... To counter this, the authors included wind shear in their calculations."
Comments
Warming oceans, AccuWeather got themselve's in trouble, for saying just that. That their was a good chance that the Northeast could be hit by a devastating Hurricane as early as this year. Based on warmer water's than normal,wind current's that would limit wind sheer and la nina. The new's media went berserk, and demanded answer's, on their claim. They remember the 1938 Hurricane that hit New York, and what it did. They should be thanking AccuWeather for the warning. We are talking about saving live's i thought. The Weather Channel did a piece , on just that, and it's aftermath on New York City. New York themselve's admitted , they weren't prepared for a Hurricane of cat 3 status. They better, if they learned anything from Katrina. It's not, weather as usual anymore, and they better learn it quick. Or we are going to end up with a coast line of destroyed citie's with million's of displaced people. They are not getting the message and million's will suffer because of it. This is what happen's, when you have an Administration who put's prosperity over survival. And leaves the people in the wind, in this case, 180 mph wind's!
Posted by: Glenn D | March 21, 2006 10:49 PM