Coral Reveals Increased Hurricanes May Be The Norm

New Scientist ^ | 6-6-2007 | Catherine Brahic

[blam]

Coral reveals increased hurricanes may be the norm

18:00 06 June 2007
NewScientist.com news service
Catherine Brahic

The recent increase in the number of major Atlantic hurricanes may just be a return to the norm after a period of unusually low storm frequency, say researchers.

Johan Nyberg of the Geological Survey of Sweden and colleagues used marine sediment cores of coral samples from the northeast Caribbean to build a proxy record of wind shear and sea-surface temperatures since 1730, and from this they estimated hurricane activity since that time.

High wind shear – the difference in speed and direction between low winds that blow close to the Earth's surface and winds that are higher up in the atmosphere – causes a decrease in rainfall, which generates denser coral. This is because less rain runs off the land into the sea, raising the water's salinity and affecting the way coral polyps build their skeletons.

Growth rings

Each year, the corals build a band of skeleton much in the same way as trees build rings, so by looking at cores taken from centuries-old coral Nyberg's team say they were able to reconstruct a history of hurricane activity in the region.

High wind shear is also associated with a reduction in hurricane activity, Nyberg says, because it breaks up the storm systems as they form. And, because high hurricane activity is associated with an increase in rainfall, it leads to less dense coral, he says.

The team found that the frequency of major hurricanes decreased gradually from the 1760s, reaching an all-time low in the 1970s and 1980s.

[rwgal]

DUUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

Meadow Muffin

[Kimmers]

Ya think?

[goldfinch]

There is so much to be learned, so many factors to researched. It is fascinating to read the studies and learn the results of research. It is too bad that Al Gore and his crowd have injected panic into the climate and weather fields.

[A CA Guy]

I think Rosie just said on her video blog that Republicans planted those Coral.
This casts the whole thing into doubt for those who refuse to read or think.

[Dead Dog]

It can also be a sign of global cooling..

[RightWhale]

Might make some sense of the huge number of Spanish galleons sunk between Cuba and Bermudas when they were ripping off all the gold and silver they could find in S America. More bad weather then. Perhaps Spain would be willing to make a present of ships logs and harbormaster logs to a suitable historical body, but perhaps they would rather not and just send the remains of the Spanish Navy to intercept shipwreck hobbyists.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

AAAAIIIEEE, we are all gonna die!
I already have the rope ready, just tie my butt to a big Swamp Pine, have a pocket full of jerky, and ride it out.
Hell, we need the rain!
Life doesn’t come with a warranty, you take it as it comes, and ride it out, or, you don’t!
BUAIDH NO BAS!

[SunkenCiv]

I think this is similar to a recent topic.

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[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Blam.

No ping, just adding to the catalog.

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[F.J. Mitchell]

Never mind what the coral says. What do the bones, tea leaves and the crystal ball say?

Whichever one they used last year wasn’t very reliable.