Storm Changes In Global Warming

Climate change and environmental pollution have altered the planet's air currents; this predisposes the storms and puts at risk masses of people worldwide.

Extreme weather events, such as heatwaves and big storms, are likely to become more frequent or intensify with human-induced climate change. Environmental pollution causes climate change; the effects of climate change, in most cases, lead to increased levels of pollution, further complicating the situation.

The consequences imply a threat to the global water cycle on a large scale, impacting local and world water resources. "As global temperatures increase, likely, extreme precipitation will also increase." - Joao Teixeira, Co-Director of the Climate Sciences Center at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

Image 1: Climate change causes more extreme and dangerous storms.

If a storm looms over an area of pollutant emissions, these chemicals, transported to high altitudes where the air expands enormously, allows them to cover more land and thus increasing risk; that is why electrical storms can profoundly alter the chemistry of the atmosphere. Causes regional or even global problems to arise due to the dispersion of pollutants caused by the storms.

Additionally, severe snowstorms that cut off electricity lead people to use wood and charcoal stoves, fireplaces, and gas or diesel generators to keep warm; this brings more problems for preserve safe air quality.

Studies have shown that hot season or warmer cities can augment the dangers of climate change and environmental pollution on storms. At the same time, in winter, there are reports of infringements of the emissions law by industries.

Climate change worsens tropical cyclones synergistically with weather conditions; climate scenarios show Europe as one of the most vulnerable regions. In addition to climate change and extreme weather events such as hurricanes, torrential rains, floods, blizzards, heatwaves, and droughts.

Climate change-related facts

humidity and rain, but also combinations of various meteorological variables (temperature, humidity, visibility, cloud cover, air pressure, and wind speed) influence the greatness of storms. Long-distance transport of pollutants emitted by human activities and dust will also be moved by future climate changes; due to altered wind patterns and desertification.

Warmer sea surface temperatures could intensify the wind speeds of tropical storms; It is also causing hurricanes to get wetter, with 10-15 percent more precipitation than cyclones.

"It seems that storms are forming earlier because climate change is warming the ocean; storms need warm water for fuel, at least 79 degrees (26 degrees Celsius)." - said McNoldy and Corbosiero.

Brandon Miller, CNN's chief meteorologist, has said. "There is more water vapor in the atmosphere. The ocean is warmer. And all of that pushes the impact in one direction, and what's worse: higher swell in storms, higher precipitation in storms."

Earth's atmosphere and oceans have warmed significantly in recent decades. A warming ocean creates a perfect cauldron for generating storms. Since 1995 there have been 17 above-normal Atlantic hurricane seasons.

Rising sea levels will cause future coastal storms, including hurricanes, more damaging which will amplify the coastal storm surge. Warmer ocean temperatures and higher sea levels intensify its intensity and impact.

Image 2: The warming of the oceans favors changes in storms.

Hurricanes will have notable increases in their power, will be much more expensive in terms of damage; the inhabitants of coastal and inland areas must take measures to guarantee people's safety.

Higher global temperatures may mean that hurricane-affected areas are moving toward the poles. The changing patterns in the new seasons would have 19% more storms.

What´s more

Total annual precipitation has increased in the United States and the world. According to reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the incidence of high abnormal total rainfall per year has also increased.

Tropical storm activity has increased in the last 20 years, especially in the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean, and Mexico. The intensity of storms is closely related to variations in sea surface temperature. 

Tropical storm activity has increased, storm intensity has increased, yet Atlantic records collected since the late 1800s suggest that the actual number of hurricanes per year has not increased. However, a recently developed more detailed index shows that during the period 2000 to 2015, roughly 20 to 70 percent of the US land area experienced conditions that were at least abnormally dry at one point.

A more detailed index recently developed shows that during the period 2000 to 2015, roughly 20 to 70 percent of the US land area experienced conditions that were at least abnormally dry at one point. The increases and decreases in the frequency and magnitude of river flooding vary by region.

Image 3: As time goes by, hurricanes become more dangerous, and their behavior changes.

Wetlands are at a giant risk of destruction by human activity; more than 64% of wetlands have disappeared in the world. Wetlands reduce the height of floods and allow groundwater recharge by acting as natural sponges, storing water, and releasing it slowly; this is particularly important in coastal areas during extreme weather events that pose storm surge and flood threats.

Wetlands filter contaminated water, harmful chemicals can be absorbed by microorganisms from the soil; this reduces the number of pollutants that flow into rivers, lakes, and the ocean; also, it minimizes the risk of algal blooms.

Climate change threatens coastal areas with the presence of rains and hurricanes. While there have been extreme storms in the past, the effects of worsening storms have recently seen.

As the oceans warmer, hurricanes become more dangerous, but fewer storms form. The number of storms is likely to remain the same or even decrease, but the risk is in the more extreme storms.

With the increase of extreme storms, the people and property are at risk that is likely to get worse over time. The strongest hurricanes threats public health and human life, in addition to the damage to buildings and infrastructure, undermining power systems, water and sewer systems, transportation, and flood management structures.

Reducing pollutant emissions is our way of reducing climate change and its risks from the strongest storms in the future.

References

• Walsh, Kevin & Mcbride, John & Klotzbach, Philip & Balachandran, Sethurathinam & Camargo, Suzana & Holland, Greg & Knutson, Thomas & Kossin, James & Lee, Tsz-cheung & Sobel, Adam & Sugi, Masato. (2015). Advanced Review Tropical cyclones and climate change. Wiley interdisciplinary reviews: Climate Change. 6. 10.1002/wcc.371. 

• The Associated Press, AL. Atlantic hurricane season 2021: Named storms coming earlier, in warmer waters due to climate change. Mar 17, 2021. Link  https://www.al.com/news/2021/03/atlantic-hurricane-season-2021-named-storms-coming-earlier-in-warmer-waters-due-to-climate-change.html.

• Emanuel, Kerry & Chonabayashi, Shun & Bakkensen, Laura & Mendelsohn, Robert. (2012). The impact of climate change on global tropical cyclone damage. Nature Climate Change. 2. 10.1038/nclimate1357. 

• C2ES, Center for climate and energy solutions. Hurricanes and Climate Change. Link https://www.c2es.org/content/hurricanes-and-climate-change/.

• NASA. Alan Buis. How Climate Change May Be Impacting Storms Over Earth's Tropical Oceans. March 10, 2020, 13:38 PDT. Link https://climate.nasa.gov/blog/2956/how-climate-change-may-be-impacting-storms-over-earths-tropical-oceans/.

• Thomas C. Peterson, Thomas R. Karl, James P. Kossin, Kenneth E. Kunkel, Jay H. Lawrimore, James R. McMahon, Russell S. Vose & Xungang Yin (2014) Changes in weather and climate extremes: State of knowledge relevant to air and water quality in the United States, Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 64:2, 184-197, DOI: 10.1080/10962247.2013.851044.

• De Sario M, Katsouyanni K, Michelozzi P. Climate change, extreme weather events, air pollution and respiratory health in Europe. Eur Respir J. 2013 Sep;42(3):826-43. doi: 10.1183/09031936.00074712. Epub 2013 Jan 11. PMID: 23314896.