Hurricane season is upon us once again.
However, it seems that the rules of the game have changed. As our climate warms we are beginning to see stronger winds, higher rainfalls and larger storm surges from June until November.
These factors — strong winds, high rainfall and larger storm surges — can explain why these tropical cyclones have become more destructive, costly and deadly. Storm surges were responsible for an extra $2 billion of damage when Hurricane Sandy hit New York City in 2012.
Storm surges are coastal flooding phenomena associated with rising water levels during natural disasters like hurricanes or cyclones. Surges have recently gotten worse because of melting polar ice caps. The average global sea level has risen six inches since 1900 and almost four inches since 1970.
Rising ocean temperatures fuel these natural disasters. Higher temperatures cause water to evaporate into earth’s atmosphere and transfer heat from the oceans into the air. As the storms travel across the water, they pull in more water vapor and heat, allowing for the storm to quickly intensify before it reaches land.
Hurricanes need four “ingredients” in order to form, according to NASA: warm ocean water, excessive moisture in the atmosphere, low vertical wind shear and a pre-existing disturbance. As two of the four “ingredients” — warm water and excessive atmospheric moisture — are increasing in Earth’s atmosphere, the likelihood of more severe storms increases.
To make matters even more severe, the Florida Department of Education decided to allow the Prager University Foundation to produce material on science, history and gender that have been criticized as distorting truths about multiple topics, including climate change, according to The Guardian. These materials will be shown in kindergarten through fifth grade classrooms around the state.
The Prager University Foundation, despite its name, is not an actual university but instead is a right-wing advocacy group founded in 2009.
This year Florida has experienced some of the highest ocean surface temperatures in the world, ever recorded, near the Florida Keys. A buoy in the Everglades National Park’s waters recorded temperatures mirroring those of a hot tub — water temperatures hit 101.19 degrees Fahrenheit in late July, with other nearby buoys nearing 100 degrees.
July 2023 also set a record for the highest ocean surface temperature in the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration history.
By refusing to acknowledge the severity of climate change, Florida puts itself and its inhabitants at risk by refusing to acknowledge the severity of climate change. Over 40% of hurricanes hit Florida alone, making Florida the largest target for hurricanes in the United States.
But Florida is not the only state to have seen hurricanes already this season. California, known for wildfires, earthquakes and mudslides, saw their first-ever tropical storm watch in the state’s southern region last month.
California’s climate has never been seen as an ideal host for hurricanes. The Pacific Ocean’s cooler water temperatures, east-to-west wind patterns and the downward flow of air over California have typically acted as safeguards for the area. However, rising ocean temperatures and an unusual pattern of weather this year have weakened California’s safeguard.
Although we have seen abnormal and unprecedented weather patterns for years now, the change in hurricane patterns is concerning.
Hurricanes aren’t the only form of natural disasters that are being influenced by rising sea levels. “nor’easters,” or storms along the United States’ Atlantic coast, form between the months of September and April, wreaking snowy havoc.
According to a study done by the Atmospheric and Environmental Research at Rutgers University, nor’easters are two to four times more likely to occur when there are abnormally high temperatures in the Arctic.
The more links scientists uncover between changing weather patterns and climate change, the more alarms should be raised — not the other way around. In order to initiate change, the United States must work together while simultaneously educating the next generation for what is to come. By trying to convince ourselves that climate change is not real, we put ourselves and future generations in trouble.
How we act within the next decade and where we put our time and resources will determine our fate. Scientists say that if Earth warms more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, we will be past the point of no return.We’ve already reached a 1.1-degree Celsius increase in global temperatures since the industrial age began.
We need to look at these quickly evolving weather patterns and remind ourselves that these abnormal hurricanes and snowstorms are some of our last warnings.
Charlotte Relac is a sophomore studying Journalism and Mass Communication. She is an Opinion Editor and a member of the Editorial Board. Do you agree that climate change needs to be taken more seriously? Send all comments to opinion@dailycardinal.com
