A study by Prof. Kerry Emanuel finds that storms like Hurricane Harvey, which produced 20 inches of rain, are six times more likely to occur as a result of global warming, reports Robinson Meyers of The Atlantic. Rainfall will worsen because “storms of all types—not just hurricanes—will retain more moisture in a warmer climate,” explains Meyers.
Chris Mooney at The Washington Post writes about a new study from Prof. Kerry Emanuel, which suggests that the extreme rains during Hurricane Harvey were made more likely by climate change, and “such extreme flooding events will only become more frequent as the globe continues to warm.”
New Scientist reporter Michael Le Page writes that a study co-authored by Prof. Kerry Emanuel finds that while in the future hurricanes may be more likely to miss New York City, the city could experience 15-metre storm surges. “The result is peculiar to New York City,” says Emanuel. “Almost everywhere else, including Boston, we see an increase in surge heights and storminess.”
A new study co-authored by research affiliate Judah Cohen shows that the extreme winters of the past few years can be attributed to the warming Arctic, writes Kendra Pierre-Louis for Popular Science. While most associate warmer temperatures with climate change, “a warming climate sends ripples of change across the entire climate system, which sometimes means some very cold winters.”
In this video, Nicholas Cardona reports for USA Today that Prof. Daniel Rothman has predicted that the Earth’s next mass extinction event could begin in 2100, based on an analysis of the last five mass extinction events. Rothman found that, “each of the events saw high increases in global carbon. That leads to a destabilized ecosystem,” Cardona reports.
In a new study, Prof. Daniel Rothman has predicted that the oceans may hold enough carbon to trigger a sixth mass extinction by 2100, reports Trevor Nace for Forbes. Rothman’s analysis showed that, “given the current rate of carbon being emitted into the atmosphere, we will likely reach a mass extinction threshold by the year 2100.”
HuffPost reporter Thomas Tamblyn writes that Prof. Daniel Rothman has analyzed the Earth’s five previous mass extinctions and found that a sixth could be triggered by 2100. Rothman found that, “if a certain amount of carbon dioxide was added to the oceans on top of its existing levels it would result in a sixth mass extinction event.”
A new study by Prof. Daniel Rothman provides evidence that by 2100 the world’s oceans may hold enough carbon to trigger a sixth mass extinction, reports Alyssa Meyers for The Boston Globe. Rothman found that if, “310 gigatons of carbon dioxide are added to the oceans, it could be a crucial tipping point for the carbon cycle.”
Prof. Kerry Emanuel writes for The Washington Post about how climate change and U.S. disaster policies are threat-multipliers for natural disasters like hurricanes. “The confluence of rising sea levels and stronger and wetter hurricanes with increasing coastal population and unwise government interference in insurance markets portends ever increasing hurricane disasters."
In an article for The Los Angeles Times, Research Scientist Nick Obradovich writes that the way the human brain functions can make it harder for people to take action on climate change. Obradovich notes that, “we’re likely to do better with policies that generate immediate and tangible benefits.”
Popular Science reporter Kendra Pierre-Louis writes about Prof. Kerry Emanuel’s research showing that climate change could make it harder to predict the intensity of hurricanes. “Storm intensity matters, because a weak storm might just mean staying home for the day, while a strong storm may require evacuation,” Pierre-Louis explains.
Prof. Kerry Emanuel speaks with Miles O’Brien of the PBS NewsHour about the link between climate change and an increase in extreme storm systems. “What all the models and theories seem to agree on, at least globally, at this point is that the frequency of the very high intensity, Category 3 or 4 or 4 events, should go up,” says Emanuel.
Wired reporter Eric Niiler writes that Prof. Kerry Emanuel has found that the probability of a storm like Hurricane Harvey hitting Texas has increased due to warmer waters in the Gulf of Mexico and the lack of high-level winds that normally push such storms out to sea or towards Oklahoma.
Prof. Kerry Emanuel speaks with Washington Post reporter Chris Mooney about how several factors related to climate change, such as sea levels and atmospheric moisture, can help intensify hurricanes like Harvey.
A study co-authored by MIT researchers shows that climate change will cause toxic cyanobacteria algae to increase. The algae, which thrive in warmer conditions, can cause “neurological damage, liver damage, gastrointestinal problems, irritation of eyes, ears and skin, and other health problems,” if ingested, writes Craig Lemoult of WGBH.