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Abstract
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There is no doubt that global warming is altering weather patterns and climatic trends all over the world, yet how Earth's changing climate is affecting hurricanes is still not fully understood. Hurricanes are powerful tropical cyclones (TCs) that develop in the warm waters of our planet's oceans. They are known as typhoons in the West Pacific and cyclones in the Indian Ocean. Hurricanes are mostly powered by warm tropical waters, and it is well established that ocean temperatures in areas where TCs form have been rising since the mid-20th century [1].
In recent years we have witnessed powerful hurricanes that have exhibited record-breaking, rapid intensification. They have produced extreme rainfall that has led to flash floods and landslides, and have caused severe storm surges that have impacted many coastal environments and communities. Over the past three decades the Caribbean in the North Atlantic basin has been particularly affected by hurricanes, creating hazardous conditions and putting water resources in jeopardy.
Many studies have examined the relationship between climate change and hurricane frequency and intensity in the North Atlantic basin. The results of these analyses suggest that warmer sea surface temperatures (SSTs) associated with climate change are a major factor in the increased frequency of hurricanes [2]. Several studies have found that the total number of major hurricanes in the North Atlantic is increasing [3] and that this is associated with higher SSTs and more humid environments [4].
However, other researchers have found that the increase in the total number of hurricanes may be associated with an undercounting of storms in the pre-satellite era [5] and that it may also be related to teleconnections like the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), which promote changes in vertical wind shear and SSTs that could enhance or suppress TC development [6]. A recent study has found an increase in the total number of off-season TCs [7], that could be associated with climate change...
Language: en |