Rising ocean temperatures linked to global warming could decrease the number of hurricanes hitting the United States, according to new research released on Wednesday. The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, challenges recent research that suggests global warming could be contributing to an increase in the frequency and the intensity of Atlantic hurricanes. At the same time, it reaffirmed earlier views that warmer sea waters might result in atmospheric instabilities that could prevent tropical storms from forming.... But the new study, by oceanographer Chunzai Wang of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Sang-Ki Lee, a scientist at the University of Miami, examined 150 years of hurricane records and found a small decline in hurricanes making landfall in the United States as the oceans warmed. "The attribution of the recent increase in Atlantic hurricane activity to global warming is premature. ... Global warming may decrease the likelihood of hurricanes making landfall in the United States," the researchers wrote.
The hurricane guys are some of the last holdouts in the global warming fight. Most prominently, Max Mayfield, the former head of the National Hurricane Center, has long resisted the notion that there is any evidence for a relationship between warming and hurricane activity. One senses that this resistance comes from the humility required for forecasting such devastating storms. They can't tell you where a hurricane will hit 24 hours in advance, let alone forecast the earth's temperature, the number of tropical storms, and the amount of ice cover fifty years into the future. Regardless, this is a great day for deniers. Science says only global warming can save us from more Katrinas! Go out and turn on your car. Let it idle in the parking lot. Be part of the solution. HT: AoS