Atlantic hurricane trends linked to climate change

Increases in key measures of Atlantic hurricane activity over recent decades are believed to reflect, in large part, contemporaneous increases in tropical Atlantic warmth [ e.g., Emanuel , 2005]. Some recent studies [ e.g., Goldenberg et al. , 2001] have attributed these increases to a natural climate cycle termed the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), while other studies suggest that climate change may instead be playing the dominant role [ Emanuel , 2005; Webster et al. , 2005]. Using a formal statistical analysis to separate the estimated influences of anthropogenic climate change from possible natural cyclical influences, this article presents results indicating that anthropogenic factors are likely…

• NS
  National Science Foundation
• OC
  Ontario Council on Graduate Studies, Council of Ontario Universities
• MO
  Met Office