The effects of Sea-Surface Temperatures on North Atlantic Hurricanes

I have always found the ocean to be a very intriguing part of the Earth. There are infinitely many discoveries that have yet to be made about it. My fascination with the ocean sparked the idea to do my class paper on hurricanes and what they are along with their effects. I remember hearing about all the damages from Hurricane Katrina after it hit the coast near New Orleans. The only information I really know about them is what is briefly covered on the news. I thought it would be interesting to discover the true effects they can have on not only people that endure them, but also the environment as it gets ripped to shreds by the plethora of winds and water.

Natural disasters occurring from the climate change could be on the rise. Global warming has been rumored to be causing more hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones, heavier monsoonal rains that cause major flooding, mud slides, and other disasters worldwide. A tropical cyclone, also referred to as hurricanes, typhoons, or cyclones, depending on where in the world the cyclone is occurring, are one of the world’s grandest shows of energy provided by nature. Hurricanes are large, swirling, low pressure storms that have sustained winds of over 74 miles an hour and are formed over warm ocean waters (NASA, n.d.). The purpose of this paper is to discuss hurricanes

Graumann, Axel. Hurricane Katrina. [Electronic Resource] : A Climatological Perspective : Preliminary Report. Asheville, NC : U.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service, National Climatic Data Center, [2006], 2006. Technical report: no. 2005-01. EBSCOhost,

Also to make Americans more aware in climate change political issues. Scott Martelle targets Trump’s main administrative climate-change skeptics, Pruitt. Scott Martelle suggests if Pruitt reduces fossil-fuel emissions, it would benefit helping global warming. Which by the help with 350 Madison, could pressure Pruitt to discuss the issue publicly. Other than discussing how to help tame the issue. Scott Martelle reports how global warming is affecting with our current hurricanes. From experts with profound credibility, insists global warming makes storms stronger, quicker and bigger. Also affecting how warm the ocean and atmosphere is. Warmer ocean water supports more powerful hurricanes, while warmer atmospheres, holds more evaporated water, forcing heavier

There is speculation that climate change may have also have contributed to the storms intensity. Global warming may have made Sandy wetter and stronger. Hurricanes and tropical storms are fueled by warm water evaporating into the air. Records indicate that ocean surface temperatures are up 0.9 degrees

Greshko explains that this hurricane season has been so active because atmospheric conditions and surface seas temperatures have been warmer than normal. There have been other major hurricanes to make landfall on the continental US over the years but this season has still been unusual with two category 4 storms hitting land in a small space of time. It seems as though the longer it goes, the more severe it gets. Finally, Greshko concludes this article by talking about the cause of this catastrophic hurricane season being climate change. The climate plays a big role in weather and the warmer conditions will make for much worse tropical storms in the Atlantic. In the future individual will drop more precipitation in the future, since warmer air can hold more water vapor. The warmer temperatures are a result of human activity an if the climate continues to warm up then its predicted that storm surges will become much worse.

THESIS STATEMENT: One of nature’s most powerful and destructive storms are hurricanes. Although they can be deadly to humans and animals and have been known to cause extensive destruction, they also play a very important and beneficial role on Earth.

Tropical storms and hurricanes have become more intense during the past twenty years in North Carolina, due to climate change. Hurricane wind speeds and rainfall rates are likely to increase as the climate continues to warm. Whether the storms become more intense or not, homes, and infrastructure are at risk due to rising sea level. “Increased rainfall may further exacerbate flooding in some coastal areas. Since 1958, the amount of precipitation during heavy rainstorms has increased by 27 percent in the Southeast, and the trend toward increasingly heavy rainstorms is likely to continue.”

Forecasting hurricanes has two components to it: where the hurricane is going (track) and how strong it is going to be (intensity). Hurricane forecasting has improved over time, “In 1992, hurricane forecasts were issued to only three days, but now they are issued to five—and soon they will be given for up to a week” (Main). Predicting hurricanes is extremely difficult, but the development of faster computers and better satellite data has decreased the error percentage of forecasting hurricanes. Meteorologists had been using the limited technology to try and forecast the hurricane before it hit, but the advancement in technology has made forecasting hurricanes more accurate.

Did you know that Hurricanes have killed approximately 1.9 million people worldwide over the past 200 years. (Karen lenhardt said in her 2017 article on facts about hurricanes). We are seeing more and more of these occur, this year we have already encountered 13 named storms, 7 of them being hurricanes. Only four other seasons since 1995 have had that many by Sept. 18. Just two more by the end of the year would put 2017 in the top 15 since 1851. Maggie Astor stated in her New York Times news report about the 2017 Hurricane season . We must take notice and learn about the hurricane process so that we are able to understand the stages that hurricanes go through to get to be so fierce and devastating to get the strength to kill that many people.

Hurricanes are large storms that have strong winds that could be around 74 mph or higher. For one thing, hurricanes are categorized by the wind speed and they use a hurricane scale called the Saffir Simpson Scale. To begin with, a hurricane starts as a tropical storm and ends as a hurricane, but the storm keeps the same name throughout the whole process of the storm. Although, scientist does not know what starts a hurricane, many scientists are studying the hurricanes. In fact, scientists don’t even know if hurricanes could even be affected by dust storms from across the ocean from Africa. In the end, hurricanes are tragic and many people are affected and many people die from hurricanes.

Hurricanes are one of nature’s most natural occurrences and intense phenomenal storms. Yet, as phenomenal as they are, they are still one of the deadliest and disastrous natural occurrences that continue to plague costal residents with fears of their homes being destroyed, their towns wiped out, and loved ones either disappearing or dying.

The extent of Hurricane occurrences has escalated many folds during the last two decade; many scientists are stating global warming to be the major factor causing the rise in the frequency at which these Hurricanes are hitting hugely populated coastal areas.

2.) Is the sea and ocean temperatures increasing in the past 20 years in the area of Puerto Rico?

Tropical hurricanes need to have surface water temperatures to be 26°C or more for them to form. As our oceans get hotter hurricanes are able to form farther out in the sea