The online version of Science has published a study conducted by a group of scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology in which they conclude that the major reason for the increase in the intensity of hurricanes around the globe is due to the rising ocean temperatures. The authors even dismissed the possible contributions by other factors; humidity in the lower atmosphere and air-circulation patterns; as insignificant.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA) is not convinced yet and it has questioned the consistency of the data used by the researchers. Nonetheless the Georgia Tech shows convincingly that the number of intense category 4 and category 5 hurricanes has doubled in all regions of the world. The issue of what is causing the rise in surface ocean temperature is not addressed directly but many are convinced that human activity is the most important contributor.
It is also important to note two other recent developments. The water temperature in the Gulf of Mexico was found last week to be higher than normal (Hurricane season starts in 3 months) and all the insurance companies of Berkshire Hathaway will write less weather related policies but charge much higher premiums because they believe that the rise in weather intensity is here to stay.
What is most ironic , at least to this observer, is that the evidence is increasingly suggesting that the destruction of New Orleans was not providential.
1 comment:
The irony behind the destruction of New Orleans is definitely underrated. All those people lamenting the downfall of ethical society due to the instances of homosexuality etc. in New Orleans probably aided its destruction more than the people who lived there - after all, people who live in cities tend not to own cars, and I don't believe those fanatics were city-dwellers.
There are so many disturbing metereological statistics flying around lately... 9 out of the 10 hottest years in 200 years of recorded weather history have been in the past two decades, last year had more and larger hurricanes, tropical storms, tornados, and so on than any other year, etc.
If anyone knows where I can find a compendium of those statistics, please send it to me - I'd love to look through it.
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