Global warming is the result of a gradual increase in the average temperature of the Earth, and this increase is the result of manmade effects. An example of this can be seen in the fact that carbon dioxide levels, of late, have increased from three hundred parts per million to three hundred and eighty four parts per million. Furthermore, the planets average temperature has also risen by approximately 1 degree Fahrenheit, mainly because of manmade activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.
Erroneous Beliefs
In regard to global warming and hurricanes, many of us erroneously believe that because the earths temperature has risen that this will lead to greater numbers and more intense hurricanes. However, hurricanes actually either strengthen or weaken because of factors such as wind shear profile of the earths atmosphere and are affected less by water temperature.
Many of the best scientists in the world today are now sure that the world will not be affected by a greater number of hurricanes in the future. Hurricane Katrina that hit the US in 2005, however, exemplifies the conflict among scientists about whether global warming is worsening global weather conditions or not.
Good and Bad News
The World Meteorological Organization has suggested that human knowledge about hurricanes and other climatic issues has grown in the recent past. According to them, there is both good and bad news in so far as the effects of global warming are concerned. The good news is that there will be fewer hurricanes in the future while the bad news is that hurricanes will have greater wind speeds, and therefore, would cause more damage.
Despite this hypothesis, there is still no clear conclusion to show whether global warming will lead to greater or lesser damage due to hurricanes. There is, however, some evidence to suggest that global warming can trigger a twenty-eight percent rise in damage from hurricanes, even though the numbers of hurricanes may decrease.
Different Category Hurricanes
According to the World Meteorological Organization, category 4 and category 5 Atlantic hurricanes or those with wind speeds in excess of 130 miles per hour will double in number by the end of the present century. The US experiences an average of one category 4 or stronger hurricane once in every seven years and the states Texas and Florida being the worse affected.
Stark Warnings
Studies such as those which were conducted by the World Meteorological Organization need to be taken seriously, as these studies offer a stark and stern warning that America and the rest of the world needs to be better prepared and protected against the effects of global warming. There are many experts that have also identified that a significant amount of serious damage is being done by hurricanes and global warming.
There is also reason to suspect that manmade greenhouse gases are altering hurricane activities, though the evidence is not yet strong enough to conclusively say that the effects of global warming will cause higher numbers of hurricanes. However, it can be said that these effects are making the hurricanes more intense, so more damage is evidenced each time a hurricane strikes any part of the world.
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