Climate change altering frequency, intensity of hurricanes

Climate models predicted this. At warmer temps, wind shear increases, which can prevent some hurricanes, but the ones that do form are stronger because of the added energy from the higher heat.

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Climate_change_altering_frequency_intensity_of_hurricanes_999.html

May 22, 2015

Climate change may be the driving force behind fewer, yet more powerful hurricanes and tropical storms, says a Florida State geography professor. In a paper published by Nature Climate Change, Professor Jim Elsner and his former graduate student Namyoung Kang found that rising ocean temperatures are having an effect on how many tropical storms and hurricanes develop each year.

"We're seeing fewer hurricanes, but the ones we do see are more intense," Elsner said. "When one comes, all hell can break loose."

•••••

Hurricanes can form when ocean waters are 79 degrees Fahrenheit or more. As the warm water evaporates, it provides the energy a storm needs to become a hurricane. Higher temperatures mean higher levels of energy, which would ultimately affect wind speed.

Specifically, Elsner and Kang projected that over the past 30 years, storm speeds have increased on average by 1.3 meters per second - or 3 miles per hour - and there were 6.1 fewer storms than there would have been if land and water temperatures had remained constant. "It's basically a tradeoff between frequency and intensity," Elsner said.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Earth is roughly 1.53 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than it was last century.

•••••


tags: extreme weather