New research shows that climate change makes tropical storms stronger

Analyzing the data observed over the past 40 years, the scientists identified that the Northern Hemisphere tropical storms have been gradually getting stronger. This conclusion supports a long-held hypothesis, that climate change makes the destructive power of tropical storms increasingly worrying.

A dataset with satellite imagery taken since 1979 shows that: most likely, global warming causes the rate of a hurricane turning into a category 3 or more typhoon (with winds of over 178 km / h) of 8% with each passing decade.

' This trend really exists ,' said James P. Kossin, a researcher working at the National Oceanic and Climate Division and also the lead author of the new study published in the prestigious scientific journal. PNAS, said. ' There is considerable amount of evidence that we are making the storms more vicious than before .'

Hurricane Florence (Atlantic, 2018) viewed from the ISS.

The laws of physics tell us that when the Earth is hot, storms will get stronger because warm water will provide more energy to the storm. For a long time, weather simulation models have shown the hotter our planet, the stronger the storm.

However, science can hardly confirm this through simple observation, because the number of storms a year is not enough to study, besides taking data on storm parameters is not so easy. Sometimes a storm that is not life-threatening will be overlooked, so the research data is not much.

' Overall, we're not doing a good job at measuring tropical storms around the world, ' says Professor Kerry Emanuel from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). ' We all believe that people will see more powerful storms, but it's hard to find data that confirms that .'

Professor Kossin and colleagues overcome this obstacle by using satellite images of storms around the world, using computers with a special matching algorithm to find a specific pattern. They did a similar study in 2013, but they only used photos from 1982-2009 so the data is not very clear. The new study's dataset has an additional 11-year picture of the storm, giving the team a more concrete result.

' In the first time we found a storm surge trend, we were not confident enough [to make a claim] , 'said Professor Kossin. The results were much different in this study.

The storm viewed from space.

Thanks to new research observing tropical storms around the world, scientists have far more data. And because each region has its own characteristics and factors that can influence the storm, it is even more difficult to accurately assess the impact of climate change on the strength of a storm with only data from a specific region.

' When you look at the global picture, the variables of each region will often fade. The general trend will stand out , 'Professor Kossin said.

There are many opinions pointing out other factors that can affect storms, not only sea surface temperature but also other climate factors. Whatever the main factor influencing the storm, the new study warns that climate change will play a long-term role in typhoons in the North Atlantic in particular and globally in general.