Sandy – Weekly Info Center

Super Storm Sandy

Sandy was a super storm that devastated the northeast region of the United States. This blog will begin by introducing Sandy, it will then follow by stating facts about the storm, whether climate change is the cause of the storm, and finally my humble opinion on the matter.

“Hurricane Sandy, a late-season post-tropical cyclone, swept through the Caribbean and up the East Coast of the United States in late October 2012. The storm left dozens dead, thousands homeless and millions without power. Total damage is expected to be in the billions of dollars.” Being that I was born and raised in Massachusetts, I have family that resides in areas affected by Sandy. Therefore, the research I have conducted was of great interest to me. As I read Superstorm Sandy: Facts about the Frankenstorm , written by Tim Sharp on November 27, 2012, I was amazed at some of the statistics.

Statistics:

149 Deaths
Deaths in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Connecticut, Virginia, North Carolina, Canada, Caribbean, and Haiti.
$20 Billion in property damage
$30 Billion in lost business

Because of how recent the storm is we should all still have memories of how the media covered it, and the magnitude of the storm. The stats above truly are representative of how large, vast, and mighty Sandy truly was. Many Americans are still recovering their loses; not to mention the families of the victims of the storm.

The picture above is depicts Sandy as she begins to gain strength and head towards the northeast coast of the United States.

There are many scientists who believe there is a direct correlation between global warming/climate change and storms such as Sandy. Mark Fischetti a well-respected blogger/scientist wrote an article expressing his opinion on the matter. Did Climate Change Cause Hurricane Sandy? Expresses Mark’s opinion on the matter. “Here’s where climate change comes in. The atmospheric pattern that sent the Jet Stream south is colloquially known as a “blocking high”—a big pressure center stuck over the very northern Atlantic Ocean and southern Arctic Ocean. And what led to that? A climate phenomenon called the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)—essentially, the state of atmospheric pressure in that region”. What scientist seem to be putting together are variables caused by the climate change, that contribute to the strength of storms.

For example:

Oceans have warmed, which directly contributes to the energy source from which storms such as Sandy strengthen.
Our warmer atmosphere is retaining more moisture, the moisture is then drawn into more frequent and large storms.

What I found interesting about this article is the facts presented in regards to insurance agencies. Insurance agencies are beginning to take into account climate change.

According to the press release that accompanied the report, “Nowhere in the world is the rising number of natural catastrophes more evident than in North America.” … While many factors have contributed to this trend, including an increase in the number of people living in flood-prone areas, the report identified global warming as one of the major culprits: “Climate change particularly affects formation of heat-waves, droughts, intense precipitation events, and in the long run most probably also tropical cyclone intensity.”

As you can view in the graph above, there is a direct correlation between extreme climate and natural disasters. This graph helps add to the credibility of the scientist who believe global warming is having a negative impact on our planet. Information on how much of an impact climate change is having on storms is still up for debate. Scientists are still trying to prove their theory. Although difficult, I believe in the near future there will be concrete evidence supporting their theory.