Climate change is causing changing rainfall patterns and more intense hurricanes
Scientists said in research published on Friday that climate change is causing changes in rainfall patterns around the world, which may also result in stronger hurricanes and other tropical storms. Scientists say stronger tropical storms are part of a broader phenomenon of extreme weather events caused by rising temperatures.The strongest hurricane this year hit Taiwan, the Philippines, and then China this week, leading to the closure of schools, companies and financial markets, with wind speeds increasing to 227 kilometers per hour. Hundreds of thousands were evacuated on China's eastern coast before the typhoon made landfall on Thursday.
Researchers led by Zhang Wenxia at the Chinese Academy of Sciences studied historical meteorological data and concluded that approximately 75% of the world's land area experienced higher "precipitation variability," or wider fluctuations between dry and wet weather.
The researchers stated in a paper published in the journal "Science" that rising temperatures have led to an increase in the atmosphere's ability to retain moisture, causing wider fluctuations in rainfall.
"Variability has increased in most places, including Australia, which means periods of heavier rain and drier periods of drought," said Stephen Sherwood, a scientist at the University of New South Wales' Climate Change Research Center who was not involved in the study.
He added, "This will increase as global warming continues, increasing the chances of drought and/or floods." Scientists believe climate change is also changing the behavior of tropical storms, including hurricanes, making them less frequent but more powerful.
"I believe that the rise in water vapor in the atmosphere is the main reason behind all these trends toward more extreme hydrological phenomena," Sherwood told Reuters. Typhoon Jaime, which made its first landfall in Taiwan on Wednesday, is the strongest to hit the island in eight years.
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