Hurricane Ian moved across the Florida peninsula overnight. The storm left him with a foot of rain in some cities, severe flooding, and blackouts for millions across the state.
Ian got into a tropical storm early this morning, but the downgrade doesn’t mean the danger has passed. is expected.
Ian embodies some of the major hurricane trends of recent years as the world grapples with the effects of climate change. In the Atlantic, strong storms are becoming more common as the surface water warms. Ian also quickly changed from a relatively weak storm to a strong one. This is another phenomenon that has become more common. And Ian is ready to throw a lot of rain, which combined with rising sea levels could cause damaging floods.
This graph by my colleague Ashley Wu shows an increase in the frequency of severe storms (Category 4 or 5) since 1980, when satellite imagery began reliably tracking hurricanes in the Atlantic.
Many scientists say climate change is part of the reason. “The warmer water caused storms, and the water definitely warmed up,” explained climate colleague Elena Xiao. Daniel Guilford, a meteorologist at the research group Climate Central, likens a hurricane to an engine, much like a car engine. Warmer water supplies more energy to the hurricane, causing it to spin faster.
“When humans increase greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, both the atmosphere and the oceans warm,” he said. “This will lead to more fuel available for hurricanes.”
Coincidentally, Guildford became interested in climate science because he grew up in Clearwater, Florida, and lived there during the devastating 2004 hurricane season when Frances and Ivan struck. This is one reason. He now lives outside Orlando, and has spent the week tying up his possessions, hoarding supplies, and preparing to welcome his family. evacuated from the west coast of Florida.
Ian became the 46th category 4 or 5 hurricane in the Atlantic in the past 20 years, including Francis and Ivan. This is about the same number that occurred during her last four decades of the 20th century.
Elena said the past few days had been near-ideal conditions for Ian to intensify quickly. Very warm water is combined with winds that do not change speed or direction rapidly. Now that Ian has landed, some of the biggest risks involve water (rather than wind), such as flooding and storm surges. Climate change appears to have slowed the speed of the storm’s movement. It also brought more rainfall and caused sea levels to rise.
(These maps track the path of Hurricane Ian.)
Elena points out that climate change isn’t the only factor that creates hurricanes. The weather phenomenon La Niña, which the northern hemisphere is currently experiencing, may also be at play. And not all aspects of climate change are contributing to more intense storms.
But these warnings don’t change the whole picture. Climate change is already contributing to an increase in devastating hurricanes like Ian, and their impact is growing. Unless the world drastically cuts its greenhouse gas emissions in the coming years, deadly storms could become even more common than already expected.
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Sixty years after Marilyn Monroe’s death, Marilyn Monroe is in the limelight as the subject of the new movie “Blonde” starring Ana de Armas. This is her first Netflix movie to receive an NC-17 rating.New Yorker called the film “ridiculous and vulgar”.
The internet is abuzz with Monroe’s name these days. At the Met He Gala in May, Kim Kardashian wore Monroe’s dress from his 1962 “Happy Her Birthday, Mr. President.” That same month, Andy Warhol’s 1964 “Shot Sage Blue Marilyn” sold for about $195 million.
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