Global Warming & Hurricanes?

Question

Do you think there is a link between the 2? I seem to hear more of them now.

Answer 1

im like you and i think so too.. there is a link.. liz

Answer 2

It is certain that El Nino has a direct impact on storms but to characterize it necessarily as Global Warming is not quite accurate.  I have given you some sites below that try to give you both sides of the debate and it is necessary to think about this scientifically sans emotion,  because there is a lot of hateful rhetoric on both sides concerning this.

Answer 3

Are Category 4 and 5 hurricanes increasing in number?

"... Furthermore, global warming cannot be cited as the cause of recent intense storms, such a Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Wilma, or Australia's Cyclone Larry and Cyclone Glenda."

http://www.wunderground.com/education/we...

Answer 4

It is difficult to say. Hurricanes happen when there is a great difference between the Atlantic water temperature and the air on the top of the troposphere. Energy is in the difference of temperature, not the absolute temperature itself. It works just like a heat pump you may have in your home.

Now, a higher global temperature means that there is more humidity in the air because the saturation point (dew point) is higher. Humidity is also what increases the energy of any convective low pressure because the wet adiabatic cooling with altitude is lower than the dry one.

So, that would mean an increase in hurricane force.

But on the other hand we also observe that the global increase of temperature is greater near the poles than the equator. It means that the relative difference of temperature is lower between the polar and temperate regions. That should decrease the force of all convective lows, hurricanes included.

Have you ever wondered why there are more storms in the north Atlantic during the winter than the summer? That is because during the winter, the north pole is very, very cold while the tropical regions remain much the same.

The point is: Global warming is a measurable fact. How will it affect our life? We are not really sure but that is scary enough to be prudent and do something about it.

Answer 5

No. Global warming is a made up crisis. It reminds me of Chicken Little crying "The sky is falling, The sky is falling.!"

http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/monckt...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news...

http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?F...

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,3346...

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?ne...

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/...

http://www.denisdutton.com/cooling_world...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/natur...