A recent study, referred to in a CNN.com article claims that the number of tropical storms in the Atlantic Basin has increased in frequency and that the increase results directly from global warming. Unfortunately, the connection is unfounded.
While it is true that the number of recorded tropical storms increased in the time period from 1905-2005, the increase is not, as the authors claim, due to global warming at all. The authors completely failed to account for the improved technology for the detection of tropical storms. Weather satellites now allow us to identify numerous tropical storms that we would not even know about otherwise. Since we know can identify more storms, it is logical that there should be an increase in the number of storms recorded since 1905. We simply are capable of finding more storms now than we did in 1905.
Yes, the number of named storms has increased, but that is not the result of global warming. Nor is there anything in this research that indicates any significant human influence upon global temperature, a connection that has yet to proven. So, before panic sets in out there, let me reassure that the planet is not totally falling apart, not yet. :-)
3 comments:
I would pay big bucks to see you in a debate with Al Gore!
And, you may want to reread your post and edit: you concluded that "the planet is totally falling apart, not yet."
It would be an interesting debate... thanks for the heads up on that edit. That little word "not" is quite important to that sentence.
So, you just presented Gore with what you had in this post.
You: Ergo, your theories on global warming are incorrect.
Gore: Please, have you looked at the evidence?
You: I just presented it. Have YOU looked at the evidence?
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