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Update Date: 2008/09/04 07:05 F57 Chen Changyou
(AFP, Paris, 3rd)
According to a study released today, global warming may enhance the power of the most intense tropical cyclones.
The study suggests that for every degree increase in sea temperature in tropical regions where cyclones form, the number of the most intense storms could increase by nearly one-third.
The authors of the study, published in the British journal "Nature," stated: "As the sea warms, the ocean possesses more energy that can be transformed into the strong winds of tropical cyclones."
Previous research based on observations over the past thirty years has found that hurricanes have become more intense due to warming sea temperatures.
However, observational data for the Atlantic region is more detailed and has a longer history than that for cyclones in the Indian Ocean and typhoons in the Pacific.
To fill this gap, three American scientists studied satellite data from all storm-generating sea areas from 1981 to 2006.
They calculated the number of storms and the maximum wind speed during each storm, comparing these with sea surface temperatures.
Over these twenty-five years, scholars did not find an increase in the overall number of storms.
But in the most intense storms, or those roughly classified as the highest category, wind speeds have significantly increased.
This trend was observed in almost all storm-generating sea areas except the South Pacific, meaning the more intense the cyclone, the greater the change.
This situation is likely because the South Pacific is already the warmest sea area, so the temperature increase is relatively lower compared to the Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and North Pacific.
Scholars did not find an increase in wind speeds in less intense storms.
The study, led by James Elsner of Florida State University, supports the so-called "heat engine theory," which is based on the concept that warming sea temperatures provide more raw thermal energy fuel to drive cyclones.
The report estimates that for every degree Celsius increase in sea temperature, the annual number of "intense" cyclones would increase from 13 to 17, a rise of 31%.
The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), composed of top scientists, stated in its "Fourth Assessment Report" last year that global sea surface temperatures rose by 0.74 degrees Celsius between 1906 and 2005, with the majority of this increase concentrated in recent decades.
The panel predicts that by 2100, the warming range will be between 1.8 and 4 degrees Celsius.
Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ art……url/ d/ a/ 080904/ 19/ 15bfw. html
Study: Global Warming Heats Oceans, Intensifies Storms
(AFP, Paris, 3rd)
According to a study released today, global warming may enhance the power of the most intense tropical cyclones.
The study suggests that for every degree increase in sea temperature in tropical regions where cyclones form, the number of the most intense storms could increase by nearly one-third.
The authors of the study, published in the British journal "Nature," stated: "As the sea warms, the ocean possesses more energy that can be transformed into the strong winds of tropical cyclones."
Previous research based on observations over the past thirty years has found that hurricanes have become more intense due to warming sea temperatures.
However, observational data for the Atlantic region is more detailed and has a longer history than that for cyclones in the Indian Ocean and typhoons in the Pacific.
To fill this gap, three American scientists studied satellite data from all storm-generating sea areas from 1981 to 2006.
They calculated the number of storms and the maximum wind speed during each storm, comparing these with sea surface temperatures.
Over these twenty-five years, scholars did not find an increase in the overall number of storms.
But in the most intense storms, or those roughly classified as the highest category, wind speeds have significantly increased.
This trend was observed in almost all storm-generating sea areas except the South Pacific, meaning the more intense the cyclone, the greater the change.
This situation is likely because the South Pacific is already the warmest sea area, so the temperature increase is relatively lower compared to the Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and North Pacific.
Scholars did not find an increase in wind speeds in less intense storms.
The study, led by James Elsner of Florida State University, supports the so-called "heat engine theory," which is based on the concept that warming sea temperatures provide more raw thermal energy fuel to drive cyclones.
The report estimates that for every degree Celsius increase in sea temperature, the annual number of "intense" cyclones would increase from 13 to 17, a rise of 31%.
The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), composed of top scientists, stated in its "Fourth Assessment Report" last year that global sea surface temperatures rose by 0.74 degrees Celsius between 1906 and 2005, with the majority of this increase concentrated in recent decades.
The panel predicts that by 2100, the warming range will be between 1.8 and 4 degrees Celsius.
Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ art……url/ d/ a/ 080904/ 19/ 15bfw. html