Al Gore claimed on NPR of the Burma cyclone: "we’re seeing consequences that scientists have long predicted might be associated with continued global warming."
But Burma's cyclone was spawned from cool seas, not warm. See here.
Update: Here is an NOAA satellite shot showing the relative temperatures of seas in the ndian Ocean area.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
"Global warming" and Burma's cyclone
By Donald Sensing
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4 comments:
Donald, cooler than normal does not mean cool. You need a water temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit or greater to start and maintain a cyclonic storm. So while the Bay of Bengal may have been cooler than normal, it was still warm enough for a cyclone.
That's kind of a tautology, is it not? Obviously, the seas were warm enough for a cyclone. There was cyclone, so ipso facto...
The point is that Al Gore said that this cyclone was specifically due to global warming. But data show that, though the seas were obviously warm enough for a cyclone, they were not particularly warm.
By "cool seas" I meant "seas relatively cooler than others," which is what the pic at the link shows. Perhaps I should have been more precise.
There is a great deal more I can and will (later) post on this topic. For now, you may find these two posts (and associated sub-links) of interest:
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CO2 is Not a Problem
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The Current Cooling Trend
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Donald,
Nope,it's meteorology. :)
Well, more physics than meteorology, but physics aint as amusing.
Seriously, people who study such things have found that water temperature has to be 80 degrees or more for a cyclonic storm to even get started. As true for an east Pacific hurricane, a Japanese typhoon, or an Australian cyclone. Much of a cyclone's energy is taken from the water it's passing over, and if the storm doesn't get enough energy it will fall apart.
Doesn't obviate your point. It is possible for average ocean temperatures in an area to be lower than usual, and still high enough to support a cyclone. But, the fact average water temperatures are cooler than normal doesn't mean they are actually cool.
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