Typhoon Gaemi's winds reached 141 mph just before hitting Taiwan in late July, making it the strongest to hit the island in eight years, as Reuters reported. Scientists say our warming world likely means more intense storms.
What's happening?
At its peak, Gaemi was the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane. The devastating storm claimed at least 30 lives in southern China since its landfall on July 25, as CNN reported. Torrential rainfall totaled more than 50 inches in five townships of Taiwan, causing massive flooding.
A new study led by researchers from the China Academy of Sciences found that 75% of the world is experiencing a rise in precipitation variability. This byproduct of a warming world means bigger extremes on either end of the hydrological spectrum, more intense droughts on one end, and ferocious flooding on the other.
"[Variability] has increased in most places, including Australia, which means rainier rain periods and drier dry periods," said Steven Sherwood, a professor at the University of New South Wales, per Reuters. "This is going to increase as global warming continues, enhancing the chances of droughts and/or floods."
Why is an intense storm like Gaemi important?
Storms can produce more precipitation because a warming atmosphere is able to hold more water vapor. According to NASA, our warming climate will likely make typhoons and hurricanes stronger (though it is not expected to increase their number).
A study from a scientist at the National Hurricane Center found that 27% of all tropical cyclone deaths from 1963 to 2012 were caused by freshwater floods and mudslides, and "rainfall-induced flood deaths occurred in more tropical cyclones than any other hazard."
"I believe higher water vapor in the atmosphere is the ultimate cause of all of these tendencies toward more extreme hydrologic phenomena," Professor Sherwood told Reuters.
The journal editor's summary of the recent study from China said the research indicated the precipitation variability was most prominent over Europe, Australia, and eastern North America and "will make adaptation more difficult for societies and ecosystems."
What's being done about hurricanes and typhoons becoming more intense?
Reducing the amount of heat-trapping gases being released into the atmosphere by choosing renewable energy sources instead of dirty energy sources is one way to cool the planet to help stop supercharging tropical cyclones in the future.
Supporting companies that are finding innovative ways to create clean energy, such as the India-based startup using cold fusion technology, can also have an impact.
The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory is working on fortifying renewable energy production in hurricane-prone regions such as the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. They are proposing a "super grid" to reassure residents that they will still have access to reliable power during storms.
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