Unum
2018-09-11 17:26:09 UTC
https://www.npr.org/2018/09/11/646313648/climate-change-drives-bigger-wetter-storms-storms-like-florence
Hurricane Florence is moving relentlessly toward the Southeastern U.S. It's a
large, powerful cyclone that will likely bring storm surge and high winds to
coastal communities.
But climate scientists say one of the biggest threats posed by Florence is
rain.
"Freshwater flooding poses the greatest risk to life," explains James Kossin,
an atmospheric scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration and the University of Wisconsin, Madison. And Florence could
cause extensive freshwater flooding for two reasons.
First, Florence is moving slowly and could all but stop when it reaches land.
Slow-moving storms like Harvey are getting more common. A study published
earlier this year by Kossin found that tropical cyclones around the world have
slowed down 10 percent in the past 70 years.
Kevin Trenberth of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder,
Colo., says global warming also affects the size and intensity of storms like
Florence.
"We have global warming, and so this actually makes these storms bigger and
more intense," he explains. Humans burn fossil fuels in our cars, our power
plants and our airplanes, all of which release greenhouse gases that trap
heat. Warmer oceans, especially, provide fuel for hurricanes in the form of
evaporating moisture.
"The oceans are warmer now than they've ever been, and they're going steadily
upwards," Trenberth explains. In a study published in May, he and colleagues
found rain from Hurricane Harvey was powered by the highest ocean temperatures
ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico.
Hurricane Florence is moving relentlessly toward the Southeastern U.S. It's a
large, powerful cyclone that will likely bring storm surge and high winds to
coastal communities.
But climate scientists say one of the biggest threats posed by Florence is
rain.
"Freshwater flooding poses the greatest risk to life," explains James Kossin,
an atmospheric scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration and the University of Wisconsin, Madison. And Florence could
cause extensive freshwater flooding for two reasons.
First, Florence is moving slowly and could all but stop when it reaches land.
Slow-moving storms like Harvey are getting more common. A study published
earlier this year by Kossin found that tropical cyclones around the world have
slowed down 10 percent in the past 70 years.
Kevin Trenberth of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder,
Colo., says global warming also affects the size and intensity of storms like
Florence.
"We have global warming, and so this actually makes these storms bigger and
more intense," he explains. Humans burn fossil fuels in our cars, our power
plants and our airplanes, all of which release greenhouse gases that trap
heat. Warmer oceans, especially, provide fuel for hurricanes in the form of
evaporating moisture.
"The oceans are warmer now than they've ever been, and they're going steadily
upwards," Trenberth explains. In a study published in May, he and colleagues
found rain from Hurricane Harvey was powered by the highest ocean temperatures
ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico.
