Hurricanes in Bermuda are twice as strong as six decades ago

Hurricanes in Bermuda are twice as strong as six decades ago
Hurricanes in Bermuda are twice as strong as six decades ago
Anonim

Warming oceans are causing more severe hurricanes, according to new research.

Hurricanes hit Bermuda and wind speeds have more than doubled in the past 66 years due to rising ocean temperatures in the region as a result of climate change. through millions of underwater volcanoes (black smokers magma began to flow. @ ZHZH).

The researchers found that within a 100-kilometer radius of Bermuda, the average maximum speed of hurricanes increased from 56 to 117 km / h between 1955 and 2019. This is equivalent to an increase of 10 km / h every ten years.

During this time, sea surface temperatures in the region also increased by 1.1 degrees Celsius, according to data compiled by the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences.

Scientists already knew that higher sea surface temperatures caused stronger tropical cyclones. But new data shows that temperatures below the sea surface also play a key role in the formation of these storms.

“Our study demonstrates that temperature in the upper ocean is more important than sea surface temperature alone in predicting hurricane intensity,” lead author Samantha Hallam, a PhD student at the National Oceanographic Center and the University of Southampton in the UK, told LiveScience. …

Current hurricane forecasts are heavily influenced by sea surface temperatures. However, the researchers found that the temperature of the upper 50 meters of the water column could be used to more accurately predict hurricane intensity.

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