A new research based on sediment analysis of the large blue hole reveals an alarming trend of a large increase in tropical cyclones in the cariban, which is getting worse with climate change.
A recent investigation from the great blue hole, a huge tuning sink out of the coast of Belize, suggests that the tropical cyclones in the Caribbean are become more frequent and can increase dramatically in the coming decades.
O, published in Geology magazine, analyzed a sediment core 98 feet long taken from the bottom of the hole, providing a record of 5700 years of activity of storms in the region.
According to the main author of the study, Dominik Schmitt of the Goethe University of Frankfurt, the data show that between four and sixteen tropical storms or hurricanes have passed through the great blue hole all centuries in the last six millennia. However, only in the last 20 years, evidence of Nine Tropical Stormswhich indicates a significant increase in its frequency.
Researchers identified two key factors underlying the increase in tropical cyclones. One of them is the gradual migration to south From the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ZCIT), a low pressure region near the equator that influences the formation of hurricanes. This change has probably moved the main zone of the atlantic hurricanes of the southern Atlantic, increasing the activity of the storms in the Caribbean, the.
The second factor is the increased global temperature sea surface due to climate change. Warmer ocean waters provide more energy for storm formation, leading to stronger and more frequent tropical cyclones. The study warns that this trend tends to get aggravated, with 45 tropical storms and hurricanes to potentially reach the caribbling up to 2100.
Examining sediment layers, researchers have been able to follow the frequency of storms over thousands of years and found that although storm activity has naturally floated over time, the recent increase stands out.
“The frequency of storms in the study area It has been much higher Over the past two decades than in the last six millennia, ”said Schmitt, pointing to global warming as the main factor.
Tropical cyclones, which transfer heat from the ocean to the atmosphere, are among the most destructive natural disasters, bringing strong winds, intense rainfall and dangerous storms. This new study underlines the urgent need for a response to mitigate increased intensity and frequency of storms.
