Old-school data suggests hurricanes in the Atlantic are not more frequent than in the past

Researchers affiliated with several institutions in the United States has determined that the increase in the number of hurricanes forming in the Atlantic over the past several years is not related to global warming.

Over the past several decades, scientists studying satellite data have found that the number of hurricanes forming in the Atlantic Ocean has been increasing.

In this new study, the researchers went back to the old record books to learn more about the frequency of hurricanes prior to satellites.

The researchers then calculated the ratios of hurricanes that never came ashore in modern times to those that did, and worked backwards using modern data along with math techniques to estimate the number of hurricanes going back to 1860 that were never recorded.

Researchers found no evidence on the timeline of larger than normal numbers of hurricanes forming over the past few decades-instead, it showed that the numbers were on par with prior spikes in the late 1940s and early 1880s.

More information: Gabriel A. Vecchi et al, Changes in Atlantic major hurricane frequency since the late-19th century, Nature Communications.

Citation: Old-school data suggests hurricanes in the Atlantic are not more frequent than in the past retrieved 15 July 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2021-07-old-school-hurricanes-atlantic-frequent.

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