New Study About Storms and Global Warming

The New York Times reports today that a recent study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration suggests that there are not bigger storms and hurricanes today, but that modern sophisticated tracking has improved. The concern is that with high tech tracking of storms, data comparing storm activity over the centuries is skewing information about global warming and the increase of "big storms."

The NOAA believes that todays environment is very similar to the years 900-1200.

In findings reported this week in The Journal of Climate, the NOAA researchers, led by Christopher W. Landsea, say that several disturbances logged in 2007 and 2008 as tropical storms would never have been identified without satellite observations and new analysis techniques.

The researchers studied storms that played themselves out at sea, either in a day or two or over a longer period, from 1878 to 2008. By the late 19th century, they estimated, meteorologists missed perhaps two of the larger storms each year, and by the 1950s they were picking up on average all but one each year.

Yet the researchers estimate that a century ago, as many as 80 percent of short-lived storms came and went without ever being officially noticed.

Over all, they conclude, storm counts have not changed in the last century.

Read the NYT article HERE