Please view the page with IE in order for the playbar to display properly
Packing
powerful 170 m/h winds and 20-foot storm surge, the destructive force of
Katrina seems hard to match. But last year's hurricane Jeanne and Frances categories
3 and 4 devastated Florida. For climate expert like Tom Herrington, it's a warning.
Michelle: Is Katrina a sign of more to come?
Tom: Ah .. Katrina could be a sign of a much more active period of strong hurricanes.
According to the national center for atmosphere research, the number of
major category 4 and 5 hurricane worldwide has nearly doubled over the last 35
years. And the number of storms threatening the U.S. coastline is also on the
rise. Some scientists believe warmer ocean waters
are triggering more frequent
and more intense storms. Tom: When the ocean water temperatures warm up, hurricanes are
a means for nature
to redistribute that heat energy back into the atmosphere.
While some scientists say global warming is to blame for the
intensifying hurricanes. Others believe it's
the result of natural cooling and
heating changes in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. A cycle that last 20
to 40 years. This time it's the Atlantic. It's warming up.
Michelle: Just how much of humans had to handle the mix ?
Tom : I don't think there's any question
that the human activities are in some way,
whether to 5% or 50%, we don't know, but in some way influencing how climate is
changing. Whether a man-made phenomenon or a force of nature, scientists
agree more hurricanes are on the way. The emphasis they say should be to
safeguard the most vulnerable, populated coastlines in the path of the storms. |
