Geology (and other Earth Sciences)

Link provided by Professor about hurricanes :

https://www.c2es.org/content/hurricanes-and-climate-change/

Living in South Florida has many advantages and also includes many disadvantages, including the persistent threat from hurricanes (link). From what you have learned from this class:

What causes hurricanes? What destroys hurricanes?
What are scientists saying about the link of climate change and hurricane activity?
With regards to our growing population, especially along the cost, why are we especially prone to huge losses when a hurricane hits?
With regards to hurricanes and South Florida, if you were in a position to grant or deny building permits, what would be your chief concern when assessing these permits?
Make sure to:

Write a short essay or paragraph of at least 300 words.
Use concrete examples/details and avoid generalities.
Address all questions.
Use proper grammar and punctuation.
If you researched your topic and are using information from what you learned, remember to cite your sources.
Include at least 2 references in your discussion and cite your sources.
Do not plagiarize.
You will not be able to edit your assignment once you post, so please proofread and spell check before hitting post!
As part of the assignment, you must also reply to ONE of your classmates with at least 150 words. You will have to POST FIRST to see your classmates’ postings. Make sure your replies are thoughtful and relevant to what your classmate has posted. Try to build the discussion and keep it going.

Hurricanes Facts

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Hurricane Facts

Hurricanes are adverse storms that destroy properties and affect millions of people. The recent hurricane in South Florida have caused major damages and killed so many people. Hurricanes develop from small storms that become large and dangerous. The formation of hurricanes starts as a tropical depression, which then develops into a tropical storm due to the increase in wind speeds (Pielke, 2013). The storm then develops into a hurricane with wind speed above 74 mph. Hurricanes follow a path of less resistance, which is why they hit the west side of the Atlantic. A hurricane has self-sustaining wind energy that makes it to keep going unless it is stopped. Hurricanes are destroyed and eventually stopped by strong winds that disrupt the movement of the storm while moving on the ocean.

Climate change has been reported to contribute to an increase in Hurricane activity. An increase in air pollution and greenhouse gases has led to an increase in hurricanes due to warmer temperatures (Elsner and Jagger, 2009). With the increase in surface temperature, there is a possibility of increased intensity of storms. Considerably, the warmer temperatures in the Atlantic increase the heat energy available, which is leading to the potential for high tropical cyclones (Haarsma et al., 2013). This indicates that the increase in greenhouse gas emissions brings the likelihood of an increase in tropical cyclones.

Hurricanes lead to coastal erosion due to high winds that increase the wave action and water height along the coast. The storm surge, which is caused by an increase in water heights beyond the tidal range, leads to flooding, which leads to coastal property damage (Pielke, 2013). The high waves, high winds, heavy rains, and storm surge lead to serious hazards that put human lives and property at risk. While granting permission to build in South Florida, the main concern while assessing the permits would be the building materials. The materials should be flood and wind resistant as well as strong enough to stand up against high temperatures and heavy rains.

References

Elsner, J. B., & Jagger, T. H. (2009). Hurricanes and climate change. New York: Springer.

Haarsma, R. J., Hazeleger, W., Severijns, C., De Vries, H., Sterl, A., Bintanja, R., … & van den Brink, H. W. (2013). More hurricanes to hit western Europe due to global warming. Geophysical Research Letters, 40(9), 1783-1788.

Pielke, R. A. (2013). The hurricane. Routledge. Available at: https://www.routledge.com/The-Hurricane-Routledge-Revivals-1st-Edition/Pielke/p/book/9780415615549