Recent Hurricanes Not Surged by Global Warming
by Elizabeth Bauman (Class of '05)
Due to the increased frequency of hurricanes in the past several years, the media and the uninformed masses have searched for and finally stumbled upon the perfect scapegoat: global warning. Global warming, such people proclaim, is causing storms to grow in frequency and intensity. Such a cause is an easy target; global warming has been blamed for decades and is a constant environmental issue. It is also amendable, which leaves those distraught by weather phenomena feeling less helpless. While the theory that global warming is aggravating hurricanes is entertaining and seemingly logical, scientists continually refute this misconception.
The frequency of hurricanes, insist climate researchers, is due to natural variations in hurricane patterns; these variations are unaffected by global temperatures. These patterns undulate every twenty years or so. In the 1940s, The Atlantic Ocean experienced a similar outburst of hurricanes to this decade; in the 1970s, however, the storm front was rather quiet in comparison. Statistics show that hurricanes have actually declined in number throughout the last century, including the eruptions of the ’40’s and this decade. A sudden increase in the number of hurricanes, although this number is still smaller than the average number of hurricanes of the past one hundred years, does not render global warming responsible for this year or a century of steady decline.
The average intensity of the hurricanes has also decreased throughout the century, a notion that directly disproves proponents of the global warming theory. Global warming would mostly affect the Polar Regions. Since intensities of hurricanes are due to differences between temperatures between the tropics and the poles, global warming would actually lessen the vigor of the hurricanes as the Polar Regions became warmer.
Another argument of those who indict global warming as the cause for 2005’s hurricanes is that the increasing temperatures are raising the sea levels. The sea levels, however, are currently rising more slowly than the average rate of increase over the past eighteen thousand years. The constant rising of the sea levels is a natural characteristic of water between ice ages. Having risen three hundred feet over the eighteen thousand years period, the increase is thus unaffected by human intervention in nature and the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
In response to the plethora of questions in regards to this issue, climatologists try to steer the inquirers to a scientifically logical direction: “Rather than blaming global warming - for which there is little supporting meteorological evidence - emphasis on emergency preparedness and further storm research would be a constructive response.” The researchers recognize that emotional need to blame something has instigated these allegations against global warming.
While global warming has easily filled the void of responsibility for the events of this year, its incrimination is inaccurate, according to scientists. Although the natural patterns of weather are yet to be explained in a concrete manner, global warming might, over time, lessen the intensity and thus the fatal effects of hurricanes in the future. Global warming may be the cause for many environmental problems, but it is guilt-free of the so-called “increase” in hurricanes experienced in 2005.
References:
Due to the increased frequency of hurricanes in the past several years, the media and the uninformed masses have searched for and finally stumbled upon the perfect scapegoat: global warning. Global warming, such people proclaim, is causing storms to grow in frequency and intensity. Such a cause is an easy target; global warming has been blamed for decades and is a constant environmental issue. It is also amendable, which leaves those distraught by weather phenomena feeling less helpless. While the theory that global warming is aggravating hurricanes is entertaining and seemingly logical, scientists continually refute this misconception.
The frequency of hurricanes, insist climate researchers, is due to natural variations in hurricane patterns; these variations are unaffected by global temperatures. These patterns undulate every twenty years or so. In the 1940s, The Atlantic Ocean experienced a similar outburst of hurricanes to this decade; in the 1970s, however, the storm front was rather quiet in comparison. Statistics show that hurricanes have actually declined in number throughout the last century, including the eruptions of the ’40’s and this decade. A sudden increase in the number of hurricanes, although this number is still smaller than the average number of hurricanes of the past one hundred years, does not render global warming responsible for this year or a century of steady decline.
The average intensity of the hurricanes has also decreased throughout the century, a notion that directly disproves proponents of the global warming theory. Global warming would mostly affect the Polar Regions. Since intensities of hurricanes are due to differences between temperatures between the tropics and the poles, global warming would actually lessen the vigor of the hurricanes as the Polar Regions became warmer.
Another argument of those who indict global warming as the cause for 2005’s hurricanes is that the increasing temperatures are raising the sea levels. The sea levels, however, are currently rising more slowly than the average rate of increase over the past eighteen thousand years. The constant rising of the sea levels is a natural characteristic of water between ice ages. Having risen three hundred feet over the eighteen thousand years period, the increase is thus unaffected by human intervention in nature and the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
In response to the plethora of questions in regards to this issue, climatologists try to steer the inquirers to a scientifically logical direction: “Rather than blaming global warming - for which there is little supporting meteorological evidence - emphasis on emergency preparedness and further storm research would be a constructive response.” The researchers recognize that emotional need to blame something has instigated these allegations against global warming.
While global warming has easily filled the void of responsibility for the events of this year, its incrimination is inaccurate, according to scientists. Although the natural patterns of weather are yet to be explained in a concrete manner, global warming might, over time, lessen the intensity and thus the fatal effects of hurricanes in the future. Global warming may be the cause for many environmental problems, but it is guilt-free of the so-called “increase” in hurricanes experienced in 2005.
References:
- "Myths of Global Warming." National Center For Policy Analysis 23 May 1997. 29 Oct. 2005
- Black, Richard. "Hurricanes and Global Warming - A Link?" BBC 23 Sept. 2005. 29 Oct. 2005
- Hunter, Melanie. "Scientists Debunk 'Global Warming' Effect on Hurricanes." CNS News 15 Sept. 2004. 29 Oct.
- Taylor, George. "Hurricanes and Global Warming: Is There a Link?" Tech Central Station 14 Sept. 2004. 29 Oct. 2005
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