Ch+7

media type="custom" key="23411874" .media type="custom" key="23247954" .media type="custom" key="25585156"

Click here to download a pdf version of the slide show, with three slides per page and lines for notes.

The Storm That Drowned a City media type="custom" key="13163802"

media type="youtube" key="vPC5i6w3yDI?fs=1" height="349" width="425" media type="custom" key="13568056"

HURRICANE SANDY: A STORM INSPIRING FUTURE RESEARCH

Hurricane Sandy, which caused widespread devastation along the east coast of the United States in October of 2012, may be related to our changing climate, according to a literature review completed by Cornell and Rutgers University scientists. The study, published in the March 2013 issue of Oceanography, makes a claim that storms like Sandy could  be linked to record-breaking melting Arctic sea ice in 2012 due to rising global temperatures.

Sandy was extremely powerful and is now considered to be a hybrid storm. Even though it was not technically considered to be a hurricane when it made landfall, the storm had the second-largest area of tropical storm-force winds and the highest peak energy for a tropical cyclone ever recorded before it made landfall. Sandy was a combination of a late-season hurricane and a mid-latitude storm, which gave it strength. Usually, hurricanes lose their energy over land masses; however, Sandy did not because it gained power from Arctic air originating from a dip in the jet stream over the Mississippi Valley. Most Caribbean hurricane events in October move out to sea, but high pressure systems over Greenland prevented the storm from taking this path. Instead of moving out to sea, Sandy moved westward over the populated east coast, which has never been documented in recorded history. A combination of the high pressure blocking system trapping the tropical storm over land with a forming mid-latitude storm (an early nor’easter) created this super storm. The low pressure of this newly-formed mega-storm, combined with the high pressure blocking from the north, also created high-velocity winds that resulted in a severe storm surge. Combined with the high tides generated by a full moon, severe flooding in the coastal areas occurred.

How might this event be tied to climate change? After conducting a literature review, the researchers have found emerging evidence of shifting jet stream patterns associated with climate change, causing Arctic air masses to invade middle latitudes more frequently. Additionally, there also appear to be more frequent high pressure blocking instances like those observed over Greenland as a result of climate change based on their review. The researchers believe that a statistical study based on these events should be done to determine whether there could actually be a more decisive link between storms like Sandy and a record in sea ice loss recorded in 2012.

Regardless of its causes, Sandy is the second costliest hurricane in United States history. It caused 132 deaths and is projected to cost $62 billion in damage.

-Jeanne K.

Photo courtesy of NASA.

References:  http://www.tos.org/oceanography/archive/26-1_greene.pdf

 @http://cornelluniversity.tumblr.com/post/44643518448/arctic-ice-loss-amplified-superstorm-sandy-violence

 @http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2293

 @http://thoughtleadership.aonbenfield.com/Documents/20130124_if_annual_global_climate_catastrophe_report.pdf

 @http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/11/hurricane-sandy-arctic-ice-climate-change_n_2853220.html

 [|Nova Deadliest Tornadoes 2011] media type="custom" key="27752129" media type="custom" key="27752131" media type="custom" key="27752143"