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A new NOAA study found that rising water temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean are responsible for the formation of six major hurricanes last year. Experts warned of more frequent major hurricanes in the future. ( Dimitris Vetsikas | pixabay )
Hot ocean water, caused by rising temperatures, is responsible for the increase in hurricane-related activities in the North Atlantic Ocean in 2017, according to new research.
Last year, the United States was shaken by six major hurricanes. Three of them, namely Harvey, Irma and Maria, made landfall, moving families and destroying homes.
Puerto Rico is still shocked by the damage caused by Hurricane Maria, which hit the island in September. At the time of writing, the death toll has risen to nearly 3,000.
It's just the beginning. In the study published Thursday, September 27 in the journal ScienceExperts warned that more active hurricane seasons could be experienced in the future.
Hurricane problem
Several other factors contributed to the increase in hurricane activity last year. The researchers pointed out that the moderate La Niña in the Pacific is also partly responsible for the formation of six major hurricanes in the North Atlantic Ocean.
However, unusually warm ocean water is more important than any other factor and will continue to cause serious hurricanes in the future.
For the study, scientists used HiFLOR, a high resolution global climate model developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The meteorological tool has successfully predicted the major hurricane season of last year.
Additional experiments using HiFLOR also revealed that the unusually warm water of the Atlantic Ocean was the main cause of the hurricane season.
"This new method allows us to predict hurricane activity as the season arrives and to take into account the likely contribution of global warming," says Hiroyuki Murakami, NOAA researcher and lead author of the study. .
Using the same model, researchers predicted a higher number of major hurricanes in the North Atlantic in the future. This new study echoes similar concerns from scientists who warn that the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which will continue to increase temperatures worldwide, has catastrophic consequences.
Dangers of rising ocean temperatures
NOAA, in a separate study, found that the average global sea surface temperature has increased dramatically in recent decades. In 2017, the average sea surface temperature in the world was 0.67 degrees Celsius. In comparison, one hundred years ago, the average global sea area was -0.23 degrees Celsius.
If this continues, the world will not only see stronger and more frequent hurricanes, the human race will also have to deal with rising sea levels that would cause regular flooding in coastal cities and widespread coral bleaching that threatens food security. .
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