Is Global Warming Causing an Increase in Hurricanes?
In the wake of Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne, the question on everyone’s tongue, particularly in Florida, is “What’s going on?” Meteorologists at every news organization have provided brilliant displays of the latest weather imaging technology and talked at length about tropical waves, sea surface temperatures, and steering currents. Many sitting at home, however, are thinking about another climate phenomenon – global warming. The world’s leading climate research institutions, such as the World Meteorological Association and the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, have said that severe weather events – heat waves, droughts, and floods – are on the rise and will continue to increase in the decades ahead. It’s no wonder that in searching for the culprit behind billions of dollars in hurricane damages over the past month, many are casting suspicious glances at global warming. In searching for the cause, however, we should take time to reflect on hurri
