Climate Change - Hurricanes

This page presents notes on scientific published articles related to Hurricanes.

Article: "Intense hurricane activity over the past 5,000 years controlled by El Nino and the West African Monsoon." Processes controlling formation, intensity, track of hurricanes poorly understood. Frequency of intense hurricane landfalls has varied on centennial to millennial scales over 5000 years. Variability probably modulated by El Nino / Southern Oscillation and West African monsoon. Sea surface temperature of present not necessary to support intervals of frequent intense hurricanes. Source: Nature, Volume 447, Number 7143. Date: 2007 May 24

Article: "Low Atlantic Hurricane activity in the 1970s and 1980s compared to the past 270 years." Record indicates average frequency of major hurricanes decreased gradually from 1760s until early 1990s, reaching anomalously low values during 1970s and 1980s. Phase of enhanced hurricane activity since 1995 is not unusual compared to other periods of high hurricane activity in record. High level appears to be recovery to normal hurricane activity rather than direct response to increased sea surface temperature. Source: Nature, Volume 447, Number 7145. Date: 2007 June 7

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Last updated: 2007 Nov 24.
Global Warming and Climate Change
Copyright (C) 2007 Ken Polsson (email: kpolsson@islandnet.com)
URL: http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/climate)