Hello Friends,
In the wake of Irene's destruction and behavior, some scientists are looking at the scenario of Hurricanes getting worse in the future.
Here in Quebec, hurricanes aren't considered a threat. What we normally get is rain left from a downgraded tropical storm that was once a horrifying
hurricane. But not with Irene... We had weather alerts going on, ended up having quite a bad storm here where I live, with very strong winds and
amazing horizontal rain...
Don't get me wrong, what we got wasn't life threatening as where Irene's path took a toll. 22 deaths reported so far. 7 billion dollars in damage.
I found these articles while searching for reasons for Irene's path...
Here is Irene, seen from the crew aboard the ISS...
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/e918a7b69085.jpg[/atsimg]
"The severe hurricanes might actually become worse. We may have to invent a category 6," says David Enfield, a senior scientist at the University
of Miami and former physical oceanographer at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Global satellite data from the past 40 years indicate that the net destructive potential of hurricanes has increased, and the strongest
hurricanes are becoming more common—especially in the Atlantic. This trend could be related to warmer seas or it could simply be history
repeating itself.
www.livescience.com...
Here is a picture of Irene taken from a satellite on August 27th...
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/ac7c37645af4.jpg[/atsimg]
Warmer seas...
As Colorado State atmospheric scientist James Elsner ominously put it: "The strongest storms are getting stronger."
Strangely enough, only the strongest storms seemed to be fueled by warmer seas phenomena. Mr Elsner compares the building up as the building up inside
heat engines.
There is controversy on the matter. Some believe that warmer seas could be a factor but global change might not be the only answer...
Tony Barnston, the lead forecaster at the International Research Institute for Climate and Society, said there are more factors than just ocean
temperature involved in making storms stronger. "So far, the ocean temperatures have not increased by a sufficient amount to make an obviously higher
observed hurricane activity level," he told us.
They are indications that sea levels are a significant contributing factor...
"With a higher 'normal' sea level, the sea level during a hurricane would cause more severe flooding, since the normal sea level would already be
higher than it was in the past," Barnston wrote. Hurricanes can cause enormous storm surges, pushing 30-foot-tall walls of water in front of
them.
Read more of this very interesting article here :
www.livescience.com...
So what is your opinion, dear members ?
Will we see Category 6 Hurricanes in the future ?
What is your take on what is causing the increase in strength ?
Or is it all hogwash and it's just history repeating itself ? (as mentioned in the article as a possibility)
My personal opinion is that, yes, we will see Category 6 eventually. I am not exactly sure as to what all the reasons are for increases but there is
an increase. Like all natural phenomenons on the rise. I have a thread that clearly shows it. And yes, it could be history repeating itself but, in
the end, this is not a good scenario for us all...
What is
your opinion ??
edit on 29-8-2011 by SonoftheSun because: grammar.