This paper evaluates whether mangroves can mitigate the impact of hurricanes on economic activity. The paper assembles a new, regionwide panel data set that measures local economic activity using nightlights, potential hurricane damages using a detailed hurricane windstorm model, and mangrove protection by mapping the width of mangrove forests on …
Fueled by the very warm waters of an ever-strengthening El Niño, the 2015 Pacific hurricane season reached new heights over the weekend thanks to hurricanes Kilo, Ignacio and Jimena, whirling elegantly across the ocean — no threat to land. For the first time on record, two major hurricanes — Category …
Cape Verde Islands is on alert as Hurricane Fred nears, with damaging winds, heavy rain and high tides. Sarah Keith-Lucas has the latest details. A hurricane with winds of up to 120km/h (75mph) has hit the island nation of Cape Verde, off the coast of West Africa. The government grounded …
The hyperactive hurricane season in the Pacific has jumped up another gear, spawning a record trio of category 4 strength tropical storms that will give the powerful El Nino event yet another boost. Hurricanes Kilo and Ignacio were to the west and east of the Hawaii Islands on Monday, while …
Climate change is bringing small risks that tropical cyclones will form in the Persian Gulf for the first time, in a threat to cities such as Dubai or Doha which are unprepared for big storm surges, a U.S. study said on Monday. Tampa in Florida and Cairns in Australia, two …
Last week, the nation focused its attention on the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the most destructive hurricane in U.S. history. As bad as the storm was, though, it wasn’t the worst storm that could have possibly hit New Orleans. That’s true of many, many other places, too. And now, …
Tropical Storm Erika weakened slightly on Thursday as it dumped torrential rain on islands in the Eastern Caribbean and appeared to be headed for the U.S. East Coast early next week, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Erika could reach hurricane status near Florida's east coast by Monday morning, the …
New Orleans still bears the scars of Hurricane Katrina, ten years later. More than 500,000 people fled when the storm hit, and many never returned. Large swathes of the city are sparsely populated, particularly in the poor neighbourhoods that suffered the most severe flood damage. Original Source
Tropical Storm Danny is on track to become the first hurricane of the 2015 Atlantic season by Friday and could approach the Caribbean islands by the late weekend, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Wednesday. It is still too early to predict whether Danny, currently a tropical storm with …
Climate change presents substantial threats to physical and mental health and may also create social instability, conflict and violence, a new study has revealed. The study by researchers from Columbia University and the University of Washington said that climate variability and change may also lead to widespread migration away from …
The impacts of climate change on human health have been documented globally and in the United States. Numerous studies project greater morbidity and mortality as a result of extreme weather events and other climate-sensitive hazards. Public health impacts on the U.S. Gulf Coast may be severe as the region is …
Scientists are learning a bit more about how hurricanes transport pollution. Researchers have taken a closer look at how the downwelling of warm waters in the ocean actually deepens a storm's fuel tank for rapid intensification toward hurricane statues and how that influences currents. Tropical storms obtain their energy from …
There is a tremendous desire to attribute causes to weather and climate events that is often challenging from a physical standpoint. Headlines attributing an event solely to either human-induced climate change or natural variability can be misleading when both are invariably in play. The conventional attribution framework struggles with dynamically …
Tropical storm Carlos threatened Mexico's southwest Pacific coast with heavy rains on Sunday, and may become a hurricane again as it barrels toward land, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Bracing for high winds, strong waves and downpours, Acapulco, the biggest city in the southwestern state of Guerrero, closed …
Tropical storm Carlos formed off the southern Pacific coast of Mexico on Thursday and was forecast to become a hurricane by the weekend, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Carlos was about 195 miles (314 km) south of the beach resort of Acapulco and had maximum winds of 50 miles …
A U.S. weather forecaster warned on Thursday the El Nino weather pattern that can cause droughts in Asia and heavy rain in the Americas will likely last into next year, longer than previously expected and potentially roiling crops and commodity prices. The Climate Prediction Center (CPC), an agency of the …
Older adults make up 13% of the U.S. population, but are projected to account for 20% by 2040. Coinciding with this demographic shift, the rate of climate change is accelerating, bringing rising temperatures; increased risk of floods, droughts, and wildfires; stronger tropical storms and hurricanes; rising sea levels; and other …
Policymakers need to know what factors are most important in determining local vulnerability to facilitate effective adaptation to climate change. Quantitative vulnerability indices are helpful in this endeavour but are limited in their ability to capture subtle yet important aspects of vulnerability such as social networks, knowledge and access to …
The fewer but powerful hurricanes that the world has witnessed in recent years are likely due to the warming climate, a new study says. "We are seeing fewer hurricanes, but the ones we do see are more intense," said one of the researchers, professor Jim Elsner from Florida State University …
The El Niño climate phenomenon is almost certain to last through the Northern Hemisphere summer, the U.S. weather forecaster said, raising the chance of heavy rain in the southern United States as well as South America, and scorching heat in Asia that could devastate crops of thirsty food staples like …
MIAMI – The world’s largest hurricane simulator is now complete, and experts hope it will improve forecasters’ ability to predict how strong a storm will get, which has been a key weak spot for science until now. The $15 million wind and wave machine at the University of Miami Rosenstiel …
