It’s late October, when seas outside the tropics are supposed to be
falling into a winter chill. So what is a “super” hurricane doing
approaching the northeastern United States and strengthening as it’s
crossing the mid-latitude waters of the Atlantic Ocean?
This is a fair question. It’s also reasonable to ask whether this storm is a product of climate change, that a warmer world will produce more “super” storms.
Certainly that’s the point of view espoused by some environmental activists.
“Folks, this storm is exactly the sort of thing climate scientists have been worried about for years,” wrote Amanda Staudt, a senior scientist with the National Wildlife Federation. “Global warming is putting hurricanes on steroids and we’re beginning to see the effects.”
Expect to hear more of the same in the wake of Sandy’s destruction. After hurricanes the natural reaction of humans is to find someone to blame — be it forecasters, government or in a more nebulous sense, climate change.
However the science of climate change and hurricanes does not support this conclusion. Even before Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast in 2005 scientists have been hard at work trying to understand how increasing levels of carbon dioxide, and rising temperatures, will affect hurricane activity.
At first blush, it would seem that warmer seas would fuel more and stronger hurricanes, because tropical storms typically form and intensify when waters are at their peak temperatures. But in this case, nature is more complicated, and while warmer oceans may be more favorable in a warmer world, other factors appear to temper hurricane activity.
Read more: http://blog.chron.com/sciguy/2012/10/are-hurricanes-hitting-new-york-in-october-a-sure-sign-of-global-warming/
This is a fair question. It’s also reasonable to ask whether this storm is a product of climate change, that a warmer world will produce more “super” storms.
Hurricane blame game to begin soon.
“Folks, this storm is exactly the sort of thing climate scientists have been worried about for years,” wrote Amanda Staudt, a senior scientist with the National Wildlife Federation. “Global warming is putting hurricanes on steroids and we’re beginning to see the effects.”
Expect to hear more of the same in the wake of Sandy’s destruction. After hurricanes the natural reaction of humans is to find someone to blame — be it forecasters, government or in a more nebulous sense, climate change.
However the science of climate change and hurricanes does not support this conclusion. Even before Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast in 2005 scientists have been hard at work trying to understand how increasing levels of carbon dioxide, and rising temperatures, will affect hurricane activity.
At first blush, it would seem that warmer seas would fuel more and stronger hurricanes, because tropical storms typically form and intensify when waters are at their peak temperatures. But in this case, nature is more complicated, and while warmer oceans may be more favorable in a warmer world, other factors appear to temper hurricane activity.
Read more: http://blog.chron.com/sciguy/2012/10/are-hurricanes-hitting-new-york-in-october-a-sure-sign-of-global-warming/
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