Hurricanes are Hot this Season

Climate change is a global issue that has been discussed again…. again…. and again. However, with the events following Hurricane Harvey, we’re going to talk about it. Again.

Due to our climate becoming warmer and warmer, the air can hold larger amounts of moisture and warmer seas means water evaporates faster. Thus, causing more precipitation during storms—a key factor in Hurricane Harvey’s massive flooding. As of September 5^th, Texas has had at least nine trillion gallons of rainfall. Some areas received a year’s worth of rainfall in just one week, breaking the record for total rainfall for a single event in the continental United States.

The effects of this storm are reaching far and wide. Texas residents are being relocated, homes are being destroyed, and the entire ecosystem is becoming compromised. In a storm as intense and disastrous as this one, most of us focus on the human aspect. Yes, it is tragic that so many innocent people are being affected by the storm, but not many people think about how our environment is suffering. Climate change is effecting the frequency, intensity and distribution of tropical storms. The United States is seeing more and more hurricanes, and in the long run these storms will likely affect biotic functions like community structure, natural selection, extinction rates and biodiversity.

Just this year we’ve experienced Harvey and Irma, with Jose and Katia right on their heels. And we are only halfway through the season. According to climate scientists, due to climate change, hurricane seasons like this one could potentially become the new norm. While there may not be an exponential increase in the amount of storms, the amount of major storms will.

According to Kerry Emanuel, who is a professor of atmospheric sciences at MIT, if Harvey had happened 20 years ago it would have been rare. A 1-in-2,000-year event. However, as temperatures are continuously rising, intense storms like Harvey will become less and less rare.

The science is there to back it up, climate change does influence hurricanes and will increase the intensity of them. Leading to more catastrophic effects on the United States. With so many people being affected, the people of the United States need to reflect on their everyday habits and think about how their actions influence the environment.