Applying physics principle yields grim prediction on hurricane destruction in era of global warming
Wednesday, December 18, 2019 - 17:20
in Earth & Climate
Global warming could well lead to hurricanes more powerful than meteorologists currently forecast. A physicist noticed that one of the principles of physics -- phase transition -- did not appear in the scientific literature of meteorology. Using 60 years of published data, he demonstrated that the destructive power of tropical hurricanes increased linearly and rapidly as water temperature increased. The destructive energy could therefore treble if water temperatures rise by 2 degrees.