![]() ![]() How did the hurricanes respond to climate change? The hurricanes all had more rain and, on average, stronger wind speeds, but each hurricane reacted differently to climate change. In the simulation, he changed the temperature, humidity, wind speed, and direction to mimic the conditions expected in the future as a result of climate change. ![]() Gutmann ran a computerized simulation of twenty-two named hurricanes that occurred between 2001 to 2013. Researchers suspected that climate change was playing a part in these warmer waters but they needed to find proof.Įthan Gutmann, a project scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, found a way to show how climate change would affect hurricanes. The data shows a significant surge in global sea-surface temperatures. Scientists have been examining the effect of climate change on sea-surface temperatures around the globe, using records from as far back as 1880. Since warm ocean waters are essential to form and maintain a hurricane, scientists wondered if there was a connection between warmer ocean temperatures and an increase in hurricane frequency and strength. What does climate change have to do with hurricane formation? The heavy rains and fierce winds that accompany a hurricane can have devastating effects on life and property. The winds cause these storms to spin in a circular motion (counter-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere). Once the winds reach a speed of 64 knots (119 kilometers per hours 74 miles per hour), the severe storm is considered to be a hurricane. This cycle repeats, while inside the storm clouds, wind speeds increase. At some point, the water vapor cools and condenses, forming precipitation. As warm ocean water evaporates into the air, it rises. Warm ocean waters provide fuel for the tropical storm. To form, hurricanes need warm temperatures ocean water above 26.5 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit) is considered ideal. What is a hurricane and how does it form?Ī hurricane is a tropical storm formed in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, or Pacific Ocean. That same year, peer-reviewed scientific journals published two scientific papers that claimed that there was evidence linking increases in sea-surface temperatures around the world to the number, strength, and destructive ability of hurricanes over the last thirty years. Just a couple of months later, Hurricane Wilma (October 15–25, 2005) was the strongest hurricane ever recorded with sustained winds of 280 kilometers per hour (175 miles per hour). Hurricane Katrina (August 23–31, 2005), a Category 3 storm, changed New Orleans, Louisiana, forever, killing over 1,800 people and becoming the costliest hurricane in United State history, causing 162 billion dollars in damages. A Category 5 hurricane-the most severe-has wind gusts measuring over 251 kilometers per hour (156 miles per hour) causing devastating damage. Four of these hurricanes were classified as Category 5 hurricanes on the Saffir-Simpson scale, which estimates a hurricane's potential severity by using its wind speed and is based on a scale of one to five. There were fifteen named hurricanes-a new record. The 2005 hurricane season was unlike any other hurricane season before it. ![]()
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