Climate change continues to have different effects on our world. Scientists have been warning of changes that can affect people's lives and could force a change in habits later on. For that matter, research indicates that hurricane risk is increasing in the Northeastern US due to climate change.
A new research might shed more light on how much climate change is affecting the world. The new research shows that there would be an increase in hurricanes in Northeastern US. This is due to a shift in weather patterns, which is one of the results of climate change. The research has been a collaborative work of researchers from the University of Durham in the UK and the University of New Mexico.
In the research, it has been found that hurricanes have moved up from the Caribbean towards the north of North America. This has increased much by the expansion of atmospheric circulation belts. This expansion of the atmospheric circulation belts has been driven in part by high carbon dioxide emissions.
Initially, hurricane activity decreased in the late 19th century as an industrial boom also increased carbon dioxide and sulfate aerosol emissions. Carbon dioxide continued to increase in the atmosphere though as more people used vehicles as well as more factories emitting it also increased. This has intensified the Hadley cell, which is a circulation of air at the Earth's equator.
As the Hadley cell intensified, hurricanes began to change course towards a northern track, according to the UNM Newsroom. Dr. Lisa Baldini, lead author and from the Department of Geography at the University of Durham, said that the northeastern coast of the US is affected with hurricanes moving further north. She added that plans should be in place in the areas that would be affected by this.
Dr. Amy Frappier, co-author of the study and from the Geosciences Department of Skidmore College said that the hurricanes have been responding to global warming. She also said that warming caused by carbon dioxide is expanding the air in the tropical belt. Hurricane Sandy is a result of this shift in hurricane tracking, as Phys Org notes.
Co-author Dr. James Baldini said that increased sea temperatures provide extra energy for cyclones. This should mean the northeastern US should prepare for larger storms, as research indicates hurricane risk increasing in northeastern US. A method that could stop floods might help in such situations, as an earlier report shows.
