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Global Warming Effects on Hurricanes
by Christine Lehman
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Overview
Global Warming Effects on Hurricanes
The term "global warming" is becoming better known as "global climate change." The term global climate change takes into account not only increasing temperatures, but all the factors that will occur as a result of an enhanced greenhouse effect. As global warming, or global climate change, continues there will be more instances of extreme weather, including hurricanes.
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Identification
A hurricane is a tropical storm with sustained wind speeds greater than 74 miles per hour. Hurricanes are ranked in severity from categories one (least severe) through five (most severe). Hurricanes draw their power from the heat of the underlying ocean. Consequently, warmer ocean temperatures (due to global warming) would lead to stronger and more frequent hurricanes.
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Features
Although the specific cause of warmer ocean temperatures is still being debated, the IPCC (the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) stated in 2007 that it is "more likely than not" that human activities are at fault. Humans are inputting gases into the greenhouse layer at a very fast rate, which is making the greenhouse effect more intense and raising global temperatures.
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Considerations
Since 1970, NOAA (the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration) has measured water temperatures in the tropics and reports that they have increased by approximately a half a degree centigrade to date. If ocean temperatures continue to rise due to global warming, there will continue to be an increase in intense and frequent hurricanes.
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Statistics
Since 1995, hurricanes have been more numerous and more intense than average every year except for 1997 and 2006, with 2005 being particularly bad.
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Scientific agreement
Most scientists agree that warmer global temperatures will lead to hurricanes that are more frequent and more destructive in nature. While there is skepticism in the scientific community as to the degree and timing of these changes, there is a wide consensus that these changes are indeed occurring.
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Misconceptions
Many people argue that hurricanes are not any more intense or frequent than they have been in the past. However, because a greater number of people are inhabiting regions that are impacted by hurricanes (shorelines and beaches), money damages and loss of life are greater than in the past.
