On Aug 29, 3:53 pm, Tunderbar <tdcom...@gmail.com> wrote:
On Aug 29, 2:47 pm, wrote:
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Very well said. It is an opinion. And it is wrong.
So that we can better grasp how human activity might be affecting the
frequency and severity of natural disasters, we need to understand a
little about the underlying natural phenomena. For example, what
causes
severe storms, such as hurricanes, to form?
Of course we do. But we can't rely on computer models to do that for
us. Certainly not the way they program them at GISS et al.
Earth’s climate system has been likened to a machine that converts and
distributes solar energy. Because the Tropics get most of the sun’s
heat, the resulting temperature imbalance sets the atmosphere in motion.
Earth’s daily rotation causes this mass of moving, moist air to form
eddies, some becoming depressions, or areas of low atmospheric pressure.
Depressions, in turn, may develop into storms.
If you observe the general path of tropical storms, you will notice that
they tend to move away from the equator—either north or south—toward
cooler regions. In doing so, storms also serve as massive heat
exchangers, helping to moderate the climate. But when the temperature in
the upper level of the ocean—the “boiler room” of the climate machine—
exceeds about 80 degrees Fahrenheit [27°C], tropical storms may acquire
enough energy to become cyclones, hurricanes, or typhoons—regional names
for essentially the same phenomena.
In terms of lives lost, the worst natural disaster in U.S. history
resulted from a hurricane that slammed into the island city of
Galveston, Texas, on September 8, 1900. Storm waves claimed between
6,000 and 8,000 lives in the city, plus up to 4,000 in nearby areas, and
demolished some 3,600 houses. In fact, not one man-made structure in
Galveston remained unscathed.
There have been a number of powerful storms in recent years. Scientists
are studying whether this is linked to global warming, which may be
providing more energy to storm systems. Changes in the weather, however,
may be just one symptom of global warming. Another potentially harmful
consequence may already be in evidence.
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