Just Released! Order “Waking Up to Climate Change” by George Ropes, and receive 25% Discount. Learn More

HOME          CATEGORIES          OUR TAKE

Cyclone Pam and climate change

Last week Cyclone Pam left a trail of destruction in the South Pacific from winds of 168 miles per hour. Hardest hit were the islands of Vanuatu where homes were destroyed, power lines were downed and dozens of deaths were reported. Scientists are saying the intensity of the cyclone has to do, in part, with climate change. The science is complicated, but global warming has played out in a tropical storm like Cyclone Pam because of the warmer ocean temperatures which energizes storm winds. Sea surface temperatures around Vanuatu have been one to two degrees Celsius above normal, increasing the moisture 10 to 20% more than in the 1970’s. According to Prof Kevin Trenberth,  expert in climate change and extreme weather at the US National Centre for Atmospheric Research, some of the higher temperatures are from “human-induced global warming.” The warmer-than-average ocean temperatures in the region were part of why the cyclone was as big and intense as it was; also the rising sea levels overall means more flooding. Other reports say that Vanuatu has seen changing weather patterns, rising seas and heavier rain falls, all indicators of climate change.

further reading at these sites:

http://www.carbonbrief.org/blog/2015/03/cyclone-pam-untangling-the-complex-science-on-tropical-storms-and-climate-change/

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2015/0314/Cyclone-Pam-leaves-trail-of-destruction-on-South-Pacific-island-nation

https://news.vice.com/article/asking-if-cyclone-pam-was-caused-by-climate-change-is-the-wrong-question-say-scientists

Comment on this article

ClimateYou moderates comments to facilitate an informed, substantive, civil conversation. Abusive, profane, self-promotional, misleading, incoherent or off-topic comments will be rejected. Moderators are staffed during regular business hours (New York time) and can only accept comments written in English.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE


More Posts Like This

CITY TECH BLOG

Climate Change in Tourism, Industry & Agriculture.

Agriculture is one of the most vital sectors in the world, and it is also one of the most vulnerable to climate change. The changing weather patterns are leading to unpredictable rainfall, droughts, and floods, which are severely impacting crop yields. In developing countries, where the majority of

CITY TECH BLOG

How Climate Change Affects Sea level Rise

Sea level rise is one of the most visible and pressing consequences of climate change. As global temperatures continue to rise, glaciers and ice sheets are melting, causing sea levels to rise. In this article, we will explore how sea level rise is affected by climate change, its