How Global Warming Causes Hurricanes
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Hurricanes Evolve From Thunderstorms
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Hurricanes---one of the most destructive forces in nature---have rather innocuous beginnings as thunderstorms in the waters of the South Pacific, Caribbean or off the coast of Africa. As these storms, almost always associated with an area of low atmospheric pressure, pass over warm ocean waters, they begin to absorb more and more moisture, building themselves into increasingly powerful natural phenomena. As the storm becomes more powerful, it begins pushing air out to the edges of the storm itself, creating lower pressure around the storm center.
As the air pushed into the higher-pressure edges of the storm falls to the ground and rushes back into the low-pressure center, winds become more and more intense. When the wind speed reaches 37 miles per hour, the storm is known as a "tropical storm" and is given an official name. When the winds reach 65 miles per hour, the storm becomes a full-blown hurricane.
Warm Water Fuels Hurricanes
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As the thunderstorm, tropical storm or hurricane passes over the sea, it is fueled by the warm ocean water. As the water is absorbed by the storm, it is pushed outward and upward; the upward motion cools the air quickly, extracting the moisture (which turns into rain), cooling the air, and causing it to fall back down to earth from higher and higher altitudes. As the air falls and rushes back into the low-pressure center of the storm, the speeds increase and the process continues.
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Warmer Water Means Stronger Storms
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According to the National Weather Service Hurricane Center, ocean waters must be at least 80 degrees F to produce the energy required to sustain hurricane development. Higher temperatures help storms become stronger, with ocean surface temperatures of 85 degrees F or above fueling dangerous category three or stronger storms. These temperatures create their effect because the warmer air must ascend farther to be cooled enough to fall back to earth, creating higher cloud tops and stronger winds as the cooled air falls.
Global Warming Affects Ocean Temperatures
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As more and more greenhouse gasses and other global warming factors make the planet warmer, summertime ocean temperatures edge to increasingly higher numbers. As the global-warming-induced warm water reaches critical temperatures of 80 degrees F, the environmental phenomenon can directly contribute to the formation of hurricanes. As already warm tropical waters become even hotter due to the effects of global warming, storms become more and more intense and can produce disastrous effects when they encounter land.
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