Scientists often look to the past, searching for the sequence of events, to find logical and scientific answers to understand the implications of current events in the future, which enables us to prepare and mitigate negative impacts.

This is what an international research group did, focusing their study on devastating hurricanes and publishing their findings in the "Annals of The New York Academy of Sciences" on December 19, 2024.

Harm

Hurricanes cause significant economic losses, including the destruction of infrastructure and damage to buildings, properties, and businesses. Climate displacement forces people to migrate and claims many lives.

Additionally, there are environmental losses, including the destruction of forests and other natural areas and water and soil pollution. Agricultural losses and crop failures also occur, threatening food security.

All those damages can cause psychological stress and fragment communities. Therefore, it is essential to achieve a deep understanding of this natural disaster and prepare well for it to mitigate the subsequent damages and enable people to stay in their countries instead of being displaced, especially since climate change is expected to increase the frequency of hurricanes by 10 to 15%.

Analysis

Rainfall is an essential part of hurricanes. Therefore, researchers have been analyzing the types and amounts of rainfall associated with hurricanes in areas previously affected by hurricanes. They used a database containing 40 tropical storms and analyzed the water footprint of that rainfall. This could help them determine the approximate rate of increase in the frequency of tropical hurricanes.

Results

Researchers found that the monsoon rains accompanying hurricanes increased from 1% to over 54% between 1984 and 2023. Tropical hurricanes' thermal loading is responsible for this increase. This, of course, affects the regional water cycle in some way and enhances our understanding of weather events and climate systems.

The deeper our understanding of the extreme weather phenomena associated with the climate changes the planet is undergoing, the greater humanity's ability to find more effective solutions to adapt to, confront, and coexist with these phenomena without significant harm. This also contributes to the advancement of science in finding radical solutions, leading human life towards development.