Shipwrecks reveal information about historic storms

Scientists are conducting research on undersea wrecks for more information about major storms in history.

It was not until 1851 that the Atlantic ocean storms began to be recorded. Therefore, to learn about the storms that occurred in previous years, researchers must rely on stories told by people and physical signs such as lake bottom sediments, coastal areas. and coral classes .

However, in a study recently published in PNAS (USA), scientists have relied on a more accurate evidence, the wrecks.

Shipwreck research helps scientists get more information about storms in history.(Source: Smithsonian).

A group of researchers at Arizona State University (USA) examined data on 657 shipwrecks the Spanish government recorded from 1495 to 1825 to find out when depressions began to take shape. the city (before becoming strong into a storm) in the Caribbean.

They also compared these data with the life cycle data for the area."Studying the life cycle of a plant shows that, in the years of many Caribbean ships, many of the Florida Keys have signs of being attacked by storms as well. provide more information about historic storms, " said researcher Valerie Trouet (University of Arizona).

This new method helps scientists know exactly when the storm hit. In the past, people had estimated the time of the storm by studying the sediment layers at the bottom of the lake, but the estimates were relatively accurate, with a range of about 100 years. The new method narrows this range to 10-15 years and in some cases, the estimate is accurate to a year.

Shipwrecks and tree life data also show a 75% reduction in storm activity from 1645 to 1715. During this time, solar explosions tend to decrease, making the surface temperature of the sea water colder. Although the cause of a sea storm is quite complex, scientists believe that lower sea surface temperatures reduce storm activity.