LAT: Sea Temperature Boosts Storm Force, Says Study

[DeepModem Mom]

Sea Temperature Boosts Storm Force, Says Study
By Robert Lee Hotz, Times Staff Writer
March 16, 2006


Rising ocean temperatures have stoked the growing fury of hurricanes, according to a study made public today that intensifies a debate over the link between global warming and the ferocity of storms.

Of all the factors that drive a major storm — such as humidity, wind shear or broad air circulation patterns — only the steady increase in sea surface temperatures over the last 35 years can account for the rising strength of tempests in six ocean basins around the world, including the North Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology reported.

"This firms up the link between sea surface temperatures and hurricane intensity," said senior study author Judith Curry, an expert in climate variability who is head of Georgia Tech's School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. "It is an important piece of the global warming debate."

Their research revealed that the increase in the most severe storms — category 4 and 5 hurricanes have doubled since 1990 — was directly linked to the rising temperature of tropical oceans, which warmed globally by 1 degree Fahrenheit during the same period. Warm water vapor rising from the sea helps energize massive storms.

Many hurricane experts remained unconvinced of the connection between global warming and storm intensity. However, Curry said, "This trend can't be explained by natural cycles because the cycles are different for each basin. This is not natural variability."...


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-0316-6hurricanes_lat,0,2481533.story?coll=la-home-world

[Neoma]

1. It's a little obvious.

...

[Toots]

2. Duhhh I mean really... When was the last hurricane to hit Alaska waters?

:shrug:

[blackhorse]

15. This is the science equivalent ...

of refuting an outrageous assertion on an internet chat room. The outrageous assertion took some assclown all of a minute to post; factually refuting such crap can take hours or even days of research.

We may find the conclusions of the study obvious, but such action is necessary on science's part to refute the politicized morons who take all of five seconds to shout "There's no evidence for this!"

So sad that it has all come to this.

BH

[glitch]

16. Exactly why they do it. Belated welcome to DU! nt

[PhilipShore]

3. Global warming causing stronger hurricanes

mongabay.com
Global warming causing stronger hurricanes confirms study
March 16, 2006

http://news.mongabay.com/2006/0316-hurricanes.html

The link between warmer ocean temperatures and increasing intensity of hurricanes has been confirmed by scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

In September, following the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina, Science published study by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) indicating that the number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes worldwide has nearly doubled over the past 35 years, from about 10 Category 4 and 5 hurricanes per year in the 1970s to 18 per year since 1990.

Warm ocean waters fuel hurricanes, and there was plenty of warm water for Katrina to build up strength once she crossed over Florida and moved into the Gulf of Mexico. This image depicts a 3-day average of actual sea surface temperatures (SSTs) for the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, from August 25-27, 2005. Every area in yellow, orange or red represents 82 degrees Fahrenheit or above. A hurricane needs SSTs at 82 degrees or warmer to strengthen. The data came from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E) instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite. The GOES satellite provided the cloud data for this image. Image Credit: NASA/SVS.

According to a news release from Georgia Tech, the latest study "sought to determine whether factors other than sea surface temperatures could be significantly contributing to this 35-year trend." University researchers Carlos Hoyos, Paula Agudelo, Judith Curry and Hai-Ru Chang looked at three other factors -- changes in wind speed and direction with height, known as vertical wind shear; humidity in the lower atmosphere; and the tendency of the winds to rotate in a cyclonic direction, called zonal stretching deformation -- and found that sea surface temperatures were the most significant influence on the increase in both global hurricane intensity as well as the intensity of the North Atlantic hurricanes."With this new paper, we firm up the link between the increase in sea surface temperatures and hurricane intensity, which has been a key issue in the debate about whether global warming is causing an increase in hurricane intensity," said Curry, professor and chair of the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Georgia Tech.

[cliss]

4. This does not surprise me.

The weather is becoming more extreme. I think that people who are feeling good that their area has been historically "safe" may find out that they are not exempt. I think we've opened a Weather Pandora's Box, and it's going to be hard to fix things.

Once it gets really bad, though, people will become VERY motivated to do something about it. But not until after we've lost massive amounts of homes, businesses, buildings, lives.

That's human nature for you. Plus, it's ironic that since Bush has emptied the treasury, NOW we could have used some extra dough.

[brer cat]

5. I'm not sure any place is safe from weather extremes

Here in North GA mountains, we rarely have seen snow in recent years. We are having sunny 60 degree weather when in years past snow would be on the ground, and 60 degree days may be followed by below freezing nights. Crazy weather...especially for those of us who would love to grow much of our own food. It's hard to predict when frost is over.

We can only pray for those on the coast who will take the first hits in the form of hurricanes. * (mis)administration will never do anything to even acknowledge the problem much less attempt to fix it.

[RazzleDazzle]

8. frost should be over when frost has been over in the past

it would be safest not to assume global warming is making the last frost earlier, and just go with the standard data.

[brer cat]

10. Thanks. That's good advise, but it's hard when we get warm

so early now. We are always anxious to get our garden started. And we worry about the weather changes on the coasts. So horrific.

[Lisa]

6. we could be looking at hurricane damage much further inland ...

In theory, stronger storms could reach northern and central areas which rarely see hurricanes (and aren't prepared for them). Nova Scotia was hammered by that storm a few years back, and they hadn't been expecting anything of that magnitude (the storm tracks generally miss them, or by the time a hurricane gets up there, it would usually have lost a lot of strength -- in the old days, that is). And they're still talking about the damage caused by Hurricane Hazel in Toronto, and that was decades ago -- though they haven't learned how to prepare (I grew up near there, and there is development all down the ravines and in the flood plains, even though people know that a serious flood event could be fatal!).

[APPLE314]

7. Let's cool the Earth back down.

In the winter the weather people say that the air is colder because it had to travel over many miles of snow, ( a white out ). The snow reflects light back into space and consequently less light is converted into heat.

If we filled the oceans with ping pong balls the same effect would take place.

Of course this is a ridiculous proposal, but, it would work. Someone come up with a better way?



Or, did you know that 20% of the environmental pollution happens because we want to a have colors in our products. For example our blue jeans are blue because of 20,000 ppm of Copper. Greens are 10,000 ppm copper. Then there's Chromium, Titanium, Iron, etc.... A veritable witches brew. If we made our fabrics from only natural fibers and didn't color them with dyes and pigments we could reverse environmental pollution. Life would suck though, because there would be no reason to buy next years fashions.

[twaddler01]

9. So it is a matter of time

that we kill ourselves or Earth kills us. It will be a tight race...

[Dem2theMax]

12. My guess?

It will be a tie. And of course we will be responsible for both.

I'm searching for the Mothership. It's getting way past time to leave.

[HeeBGBz]

11. Ya think?

It's good they've verified it, but it's too late to convince the blind deniers of global warming. The damage is done. Hope someone is researching how we'll survive the meltdown.

[hatrack]

13. File under "N" for "No Shit!!!" Still, good to see confirmation on this.

Confirmation of what anybody with a pulse watching the Weather Channel could pick up - the warmer the water, the bigger the storm.

[progressoid]

14. Holy Cow. Is that right?

But Rush keeps telling me that it's just nature.....

[FlaGranny]

17. Rush is right -

it IS nature, trying to shrug off the virus (humans) who are causing it to be feverish.