Old: Global warming increases hurricanes. New: Global warming decreases hurricanes.
posted at 12:25 pm on January 24, 2008 by Bryan
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Why don’t we just take the average and say that since global warming may or may not even be happening, and if it is then the Sun might be the main cause, it’s impossible to say if global warming is having any effect on hurricanes at all?
Oh, right. That makes for a lousy scare-headline and can’t be turned to anyone’s political advantage.
Global warming could reduce how many hurricanes hit the United States, according to a new federal study that clashes with other research. The new study is the latest in a contentious scientific debate over how manmade global warming may affect the intensity and number of hurricanes.
In it, researchers link warming waters, especially in the Indian and Pacific oceans, to increased vertical wind shear in the Atlantic Ocean near the United States. Wind shear — a change in wind speed or direction — makes it hard for hurricanes to form, strengthen and stay alive.
So that means “global warming may decrease the likelihood of hurricanes making landfall in the United States,” according to researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Miami Lab and the University of Miami.
I eagerly await Al Gore’s denunciation of the Bushbots at NOAA and U of M.
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I smell the evil hand of ManBearPig involved in this!
Kendrick on January 24, 2008 at 12:30 PM
What gets lost in all of this is how exceedingly hard it is to predict how a complex system like the Earth’s atmosphere will respond to perturbations. Global warming is happening, but we still have no freaking clue how exactly it’s going to influence local weather phenomena like hurricanes. That doesn’t mean that the research is wasted, though, but just that people need to cut out the hype and predictions of doom. Maybe we are doomed, but the data doesn’t give any indication of that yet.
Big S on January 24, 2008 at 12:32 PM
Think about the poor endangered hurricanes. Damn you, Global Warming! Damn you to Hell!
Kahn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Shtetl G on January 24, 2008 at 12:33 PM
Al Gore: Global warming “significantly worse than feared”
Vizzini on January 24, 2008 at 12:34 PM
It’s not just exceedingly hard. It’s impossible.
Bryan on January 24, 2008 at 12:35 PM
Glocal Warming increases John McHurricane
EJDolbow on January 24, 2008 at 12:35 PM
But wait…what effect does George Bush have on hurricanes? Huh? What about that!?!
CP on January 24, 2008 at 12:35 PM
Juan McVain believes in global warming so it must be true.
God would not allow global warming to occur. Vote for Mitt…he understands this.
Roger Waters on January 24, 2008 at 12:36 PM
I can actually spin this.
A goodly percentage of Georgia’s yearly rainfall comes from Gulf and Atlantic hurricanes that make landfall, are caught by frontal patterns and stall out over the northern part of the state, causing torrential rain and filling water sources such as aboveground lakes & reservoirs and their connecting springs, as well as the rivers that feed the aquifers in the southern part of the state. The past few years’ underperforming hurricane season has left our state in the midst of a severe drought, resulting in a poor growing season for Georgia farmers.
fusionaddict on January 24, 2008 at 12:39 PM
So now Global Warming saves lives, and property. Keeping insurance rates down, and making our lives better and safer…
CO2 is our friend…
right2bright on January 24, 2008 at 12:39 PM
As a Florida resident, I am in favor of trading warmer weather for fewer hurricanes. So it’ll be 110 degrees out instead of 107…we’re all hiding inside at that point anyway.
tlynch001 on January 24, 2008 at 12:39 PM
This reminds me – I was watching a show about crocodiles killing people in Sanibel Island, Florida on the NCG the other night. These crocs had grown to enormous lengths of 12 feet, and were grabbing people on land who were out walking their dogs, jogging, and doing landscape work.
Elsewhere in Florida if crocs are menacing the population they are removed by Florida law, but the envirowackos created a special exception for Sanibel Island and wouldn’t hear of anyone disturbing their sweet crocodiles.
But what was truly mindboggling was the National Georgraphic’s doomsday assertion that although crocs have lived for billions of years, they are now threatened by….global warming.
Yep, you see, global warming causes too many male crocks to be born and not enough females. Apparently we are to believe that never in the history of the planet have temperatures reached such high, population threatening levels. Nope, not in billions of years, has this planet ever been so freaking hot.
And it’s all our fault.
Buy Danish on January 24, 2008 at 12:43 PM
Hard to make any big money from that headline. I wonder if it could somehow be spun into a plea to buy more carbon credit offsets.
a capella on January 24, 2008 at 12:44 PM
The problem with saying decrease hurricanes, is that it is only affecting the US, but Asia has seen an increase and strength of typhoons which is in essence hurricanes as well
ConservativePartyNow on January 24, 2008 at 12:45 PM
I’d suggest that is the wrong spin from Al Gore. Specifically, since global warming benefits the US vis-a-vis hurricanes, we will be expected to purchase “hurricane credits” from third world nations to offset our greedy hurricane-free lifestyle.
highhopes on January 24, 2008 at 12:49 PM
There are too many variables to account for when making predictions. The earth is a dynamic system and NOT a closed box. It’s impossible to model anything like this on a computer.
It is sheer arrogance for some idiot to think he/she knows the best temperature for every place on the planet.
Dr.Cwac.Cwac on January 24, 2008 at 12:49 PM
Here’s a question. How easy do you think it would be to make money off of the hysteria? I mean, as a conservative, who wants to not sell his soul out here?
After all…. think of it: Those who believe this stuff are rich, with lots of money and no brains. Ripe for the plucking!
Vanceone on January 24, 2008 at 12:49 PM
“Global warming” is so passe. All the cool kids call it “climate change.” I still call it “the weather.”
KelliD on January 24, 2008 at 12:49 PM
All I can say is… “Thank God for global warming!”.
The last couple days in Denver, until yesterday where it was a balmy 25 degrees, it has been hovering in single digits. All I could think during this cold snap is if it’s this damn cold with global warming, how damn cold would be without global warming? -10? -20? -30 degrees?
After this past week of bone chilling temps, I can honestly say bring on the global warming because I’m freezing my a** off!
Planet Boulder on January 24, 2008 at 12:49 PM
It’s freaking cold in New York right now, at this point I wish there WAS global warming. And maybe there is, but the fact is, all this alarmism is so ridiculous. Those on the Left constantly accuse Republicans of scare tactics and fear mongering to stir up votes and support. Well what the Left does with its alarmism on global warming is even worse, because we’re not even sure we understand it correctly. People always joke about how the weather man is always wrong; it’s because it’s so difficult to even predict the daily weather, let alone describe how the earth’s entire atmosphere and climate change is really happening and how long it will take and what its effect will be. The dire predictions about global warming, spouted more often by politicians than scientists, isn’t helping anything.
mattyj86 on January 24, 2008 at 12:50 PM
Has Al Gore, the IPCC, or anybody else begun to address the problem of Global Growing?
Jimmy the Dhimmi on January 24, 2008 at 12:50 PM
And in the end it won’t matter anyway.
KelliD on January 24, 2008 at 12:52 PM
When the Sun (the big glowing ball of fiery gas at the center of solar system) answers my email, I’ll make sure to forward it on to the group.
Dr.Cwac.Cwac on January 24, 2008 at 12:52 PM
These videos go a long way to explain not only AGW but also other BS science.
TheSitRep on January 24, 2008 at 12:52 PM
Amazing photo on the front page of this story
Gregor on January 24, 2008 at 12:52 PM
Well, given the current state of the science, yes. The mathematical models these guys are using have so many variables that they end up guessing on most of their input parameters. It’s possible to build a decent model, but we don’t have much knowledge of how to treat most of the input parameters yet. The best scientific work is focused on such things; these guys who are currently trying to predict how warming will effect hurricane strength and frequency might as well be using a random number generator.
Big S on January 24, 2008 at 12:53 PM
It’s -6 degrees today in MT. Where’s global warming HERE?
I still love that somehow we have become an evil soap opera villian somehow controlling the weather with our evil weather control devices known as planes and SUVs. Bwah ha ha ha ha!!!
mjk on January 24, 2008 at 12:53 PM
OH NO: We’ve got a HURRICANE DEFICIT!!!
The government will have to step in and raise taxes in order to subsidize these poor, disadvantaged, “minority weather patterns”!!!
landlines on January 24, 2008 at 12:53 PM
The debate is over. Over! Stop lying you Nazis!
Seixon on January 24, 2008 at 12:54 PM
Entropy is a b!tch!
Dr.Cwac.Cwac on January 24, 2008 at 12:54 PM
I hope you’re not talking about “black” ice and “white” outs?
I guess you could infer that global warming is raaaaaaacist!
Dr.Cwac.Cwac on January 24, 2008 at 12:56 PM
Damn, beat me to it. But you stopped short on the spinning.
The draught in the SE is BUSH’S FAULT!!
iurockhead on January 24, 2008 at 12:56 PM
OH NO: We’ve got a HURRICANE DEFECIT!!
Pelosi & Co will have to raise taxes and have the government give subsidies to these poor, disadvantaged, “minority weather patterns”!!!
landlines on January 24, 2008 at 12:56 PM
Yet another crack in that religion known as Globus Warmicus. High Priestess Al Gore will be leery.
Zorg on January 24, 2008 at 12:56 PM
Do not doubt the word of Goracle.
Mulligan on January 24, 2008 at 1:03 PM
And the same data used to convince everyone the world was entering a new ice age in the 70’s is now being used to convince everyone that the world is heating up.
drjohn on January 24, 2008 at 1:05 PM
I thought they already dropped the “Global warming” moniker for “Climate Change”
They got tired of the cold weather jacking with there GW conventions.
TheSitRep on January 24, 2008 at 1:05 PM
Record snowfalls just north of Los Angeles. But, not to worry, we’ve already heard the spin – that global warming will be preceded by localized coolings.
With this logic, they can never be wrong. If it’s too hot, it’s global warming. If it’s too cold, it’s the localized coolings associated with global warming.
This logic is gold, Jerry! It’s Gold! And, it’s a socialist moneymaker.
P.S. Where is today’s quota of atheist evangelism from the Christian hater?
OhEssYouCowboys on January 24, 2008 at 1:06 PM
I think I’ve seen that episode as well. In Frank Miniter’s new book The Politically Incorrect Guide to Hunting he claims that Louisiana has a higher population of alligators yet has not had an alligator related death since the mid 60’s because they manage their population.
clancy_wiggum on January 24, 2008 at 1:09 PM
But… but… I thought the Science Was Settled???
Lehuster on January 24, 2008 at 1:11 PM
I think you mean KHAAAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hendo on January 24, 2008 at 1:11 PM
I friggin’ love those stories! Memo to humans: you are really just a large, slow-moving pile of poorly-protected meat. Crocodiles are higher than you on the food chain. Therefore if you get near a croc, you will enter your relevant role in the food chain: food. It’s just a very large carnivorous lizard being a very large carnivorous lizard. This is one of the few remaining examples of social darwinism in our society. I say we leave the crocs be for that reason alone.
That’s without even getting into my impression that female crocs take better care of their kids than some Floridians…
Time for a s Second Look at the Sanibel Island croc-feeding preserve!
ErikTheRed on January 24, 2008 at 1:13 PM
I wonder what the assumptions were in the computer model they used to “predict” future hurricane populations. I wonder how many of those assumptions are utter rubbish.
Weebork on January 24, 2008 at 1:14 PM
I get so sick and tired of watching a show on National Geographic, Discovery, Science, etc, and hearing the mention of GW as the cause of some sort of conceived disaster. It seems like I am constantly having to explain to my kids again and again and again why I thnk GW is a bunch of crap. Luckily, my kids get sick of hearing about GW also. It also doesn’t help that one of my sisters-in-law is an environmentalist and is always spouting off her beliefs to my nieces and nephews, and they in turn believe it’s the absolute truth.
StephC on January 24, 2008 at 1:15 PM
To quote P.J. O’Rourke: I don’t mind being called a Nazi for exactly one reason: Nobody’s ever had a fantasy about being tied up and ravaged by a Liberal.
ErikTheRed on January 24, 2008 at 1:16 PM
So does this mean the silly louts who bought carbon offsets gets a refund of sorts?
4shoes on January 24, 2008 at 1:20 PM
Global Warming, the cause of, and solution to all of life’s problems.
Canadian Imperialist Running Dog on January 24, 2008 at 1:28 PM
Meanwhile, Bush is yet again pushing and flipping random buttons and switches on his evil hurricane machine in the oval office.
Grafted on January 24, 2008 at 1:28 PM
It’s “Kahn” if he’s Jewish.
Attila (Pillage Idiot) on January 24, 2008 at 1:30 PM
Let’s just say it like it is…Weather Happens.
reine.de.tout on January 24, 2008 at 1:32 PM
People that can’t tell you if the weather will be nice enough to have an outdoor party next week want you to believe that they can predict global warming….
Yeah…right
Fuzzball on January 24, 2008 at 1:32 PM
I feel your cold. So far we know that global warming makes it warmer or colder, gives us more or less snow, causes more or less hurricanes, makes the ice caps smaller or bigger and raises or lowers the level of the oceans. Is there any climate condition that is not the result of global warming? What can we do about this always changing climate? I know! Create a one world socialist government. Yes, it’s just that simple. A one world government headed by the UN will completely eliminate global warming in 500 to 600 years.
jmarcure on January 24, 2008 at 1:34 PM
That’s one freakin’awsum cloud!!!
Ham Radio & supplies ready!!!
lobosan5 on January 24, 2008 at 1:40 PM
It’s bad enough that the residents of Sanibel Island are that stupid, what gets me is how stupid National Geographic is. Or maybe it’s intentional misinformation and they just assume that their audience is so dumb that they will buy the premise that a creature who has lived for billions of years through ice ages and periods of warming is suddenly endangered.
I feel your pain, but think of it as an opportunity. Ask her if she believes that this is the hottest that the planet has ever been in billions of years, or if it’s possible that all this talk is just a
croccrock.There’s also a good novel you might want to recommend to them – Michael Crichton’s State of Fear. It’s quite good page turner and it has the benefit of having tons of factual info in it.
Buy Danish on January 24, 2008 at 1:44 PM
Global Warming. It was 59 degrees this morning when I woke.
It’s almost 8:30 and it’s only 62 degrees. It’s frigging cold!
I’m releasing all my aerosol sprays to warm things up.
I saw a story about the Antarctic ice sheets melting and this comes during the southern polar region is in it’s summer months. While the Arctic region is experiencing record cold. It you go back and read similar stories over the years, it’s the same theme.
It’s easy to predict the weather. It’s easier to predict the winning lottery number. Getting it right is the hard part.
Kini on January 24, 2008 at 1:48 PM
Yeah, his predictions have actually been on the conservative side!
Jaibones on January 24, 2008 at 1:53 PM
Clearly you live somewhere very much south of here, as we would kill for a 60 degree break from our 20 degree days here in Massachusetts.
BKennedy on January 24, 2008 at 1:53 PM
You poor Dear!
It was -4, when I woke; wind chill -20. It’s up around 5 degrees now (1 pm).
Jaibones on January 24, 2008 at 1:55 PM
Bingo.
Rush touched on this phenomenon yesterday. His implication was that since Katrina turned New Orlenas into a lake (caused by Global Warming) the hurricane seasons have been pretty much of a cakewalk for a few years running.
Therefore, the non-stop decades of ravaging hurricanes predicted by the global warming nutbags was put to rest.
So to keep the ruse alive, the cause and effect of global warming needs to be completely turned on it’s head, all the while hoping no one will notice the idiocy of their schizophrenic finger-in-the-wind theories.
Funny bunch.
When the Sun burns out, they’ll blame that on Global Warming.
fogw on January 24, 2008 at 1:55 PM
You forgot racist. Bush’s Hurricane machine is evil and racist. Women and minorities are hardest hit, unless you ask a nut like Lindorff who believes The Day After Tomorrow is litterally two days away.
BKennedy on January 24, 2008 at 1:57 PM
And I guess I have it pretty good compared to Canada, or have they become so dhimmi I should now refer to it as Canuckistan?
BKennedy on January 24, 2008 at 1:59 PM
Oh, they’re out there, but, believe me, you wouldn’t want to tie up or ravage any of the girls who fantasize about liberals doing that to them.
Ick.
Kensington on January 24, 2008 at 2:01 PM
“Wang said he based his study on observations instead of computer models …”
Reminds me of something an old boss of mine said when I wanted to do some computer modeling – “Son, modeling is like masturbation. The more you do it, the more you think it’s real.”
PoeMangonel on January 24, 2008 at 2:05 PM
It’s funny how here in New England it gets to 30 degrees and I’m out on the porch in a long sleeve shirt saying, “Man, it sure is nice out.” Heck, 60 degrees and I’m out on the bike.
I look at it this way, I don;t know what the Scientist know because they all kinda cancel each other out with their “studies”, also all the up and down trends. That being said, you’d have to be pretty simple minded to think that with all the crap we’ve been pushing up into the atmosphere that we aren’t having any effect.
I say, hope for the best and plan for the worst.
Geronimo on January 24, 2008 at 2:15 PM
PoeMangonel on January 24, 2008 at 2:05 PM
HAAAA!!! HAAAAA!!! (Mind if I use that line?)
kcd on January 24, 2008 at 2:18 PM
I think it’s BS. Do a little research. The air, land, water, etc. are cleaner, purer, etc. now than they were 20 years ago!
kcd on January 24, 2008 at 2:21 PM
It makes more sense that it was alligators killing people, although I heard crocs are coming back. Too lazy to check.
tlynch001 on January 24, 2008 at 2:24 PM
Global Warming causes Global Warming
When will we see that headline?
and the opposing…
Global Warming causes Global Cooling
sleepy-beans on January 24, 2008 at 2:31 PM
Surely this means that the hurricanes that would have made landfall over the United States are going to be diverted to poor countries in Central America. So the eeeeeeevil Americans driving the carbon-belching SUVs are directly contributing to the deaths of poor Central Americans. But do they care? Nooooooooo!
gridlock2 on January 24, 2008 at 2:46 PM
Green Boy is in Switzerland today, preaching his special brand of bulle shitteaux (pardon my French) and leaving a carbon footprint the size of a dinosaur’s ass.
whitetop on January 24, 2008 at 2:47 PM
whitetop on January 24, 2008 at 2:47 PM
HAAAAAAA!!!! HAAAA!!!! OMG that was funny!
kcd on January 24, 2008 at 2:53 PM
I’m truly thankful for Global Warming!!
Because…
1. Space is way too cold for me: I can’t afford the heating bills.
2. I’d really, really miss the major Greenhouse Gas: water vapor. Think of a world without showers: you couldn’t tell the Conservatives from the Liberals!
3. I get really, really, really tired of holding my breath so I don’t exhale Carbon Dioxide and scare the Envirowackos!
landlines on January 24, 2008 at 2:59 PM
But they swore it was global warming that was causing all the hurricanes, and that’s why each new hurricane season would be worse.
Of course, then the last 2 hurricane seasons were very mild. But they explained this with La Nina, or was it El Nino. But just the one time. Except it was actually 2 times.
So what’s the chance they’ve flipped because they don’t want anyone looking at the recent milder hurricane seasons and starting to doubt global warming?
Naw. That can’t be it.
tom on January 24, 2008 at 3:04 PM
Remember, Al warned about more hurricanes before he warned about fewer hurricanes. The science is unsettled.
drunyan8315 on January 24, 2008 at 3:06 PM
Just yesterday I was telling someone about the GW and how they are trying to claim the snow is because of GW, and I countered that those that do not believe it is the Sun, and not really a trend towards GW, if they would counter with Global Cooling causes the warm Summers. I know, souns stupid, just as stupid as GW causing cold weather and snow.
But now we see that warm water will slow Hurricanes, then all those Hurricanes in 2005 were from our GlobalCooling. Russia is right.
WoosterOh on January 24, 2008 at 3:19 PM
“Excelsior!”
BirdEye on January 24, 2008 at 3:29 PM
Relief from hurricanes, I`ll bet the Gulf Coast will be happy. Have Gore or Boxer go down to New Orleans and say: “We must stop global warming so we can get back to the old hurricane cycles!”
ThePrez on January 24, 2008 at 3:37 PM
I hate it when people try to have it both ways.
SoulGlo on January 24, 2008 at 3:37 PM
I guess we’re damned if we do and damned if we don’t.
bloggless on January 24, 2008 at 3:38 PM
It’s called weather.
Buttercup on January 24, 2008 at 3:49 PM
Global Warming ate my homework.
mugged on January 24, 2008 at 4:01 PM
Everybody remembers Eisenhower’s warning about the, “military-industrial complex,” shoot, it has become the siren call of some.
Few if any recall — and it is never repeated — the second of the two specific warning he made in that very same speech:
“The prospect of domination of the nation’s scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present — and is gravely to be regarded.
Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite.”
The scientific-technological elite, Eisenhower truly was prescient. Read the speech, it could have been written today.
DKK
LifeTrek on January 24, 2008 at 4:08 PM
Global Cooling in the 1970’s shifted into the Population Crisis, then shifted to Acid Rain, then shifted to Global Warming and that morphed into Climate Change.
Climate Change = Seasons
DOWN WITH SEASONS!! Seasons are evil! Stop Summer! Stop Winter! Elimate Winter! Ban Fall!
Every March, millions upon millions of unique and precious snowflakes die agonizingly slow and wholly preventable deaths…stop Spring now! Do your part!
Kooks.
Montana on January 24, 2008 at 4:12 PM
Here you go:
http://www.livescience.com/environment/041217_sealevel_rise.html
Just throw Global Warming causes Global Cooling into Google and you will find lots more.
jmarcure on January 24, 2008 at 4:20 PM
Heh.
fogw on January 24, 2008 at 4:28 PM
kcd – sure, use the line.
Actually it should be the IPCC slogan.
PoeMangonel on January 24, 2008 at 4:36 PM
Doesn’t matter anyways since the moon is moving away from us year by year causing more and more chaos in the weather and tides. The sky is falling, or is it rising? Where’s a chicken little to run?
MechEng5by5 on January 24, 2008 at 4:51 PM
Yes… when we had a rash of Hurricanes the mantra was that Global Warming, which hasn’t happened yet, caused the increase, even though the experts said no… which resulted in protests.
Now… the lack of Hurricanes are blamed on Global Warming, based on selective temperature sampling, again, experts be damned… protests will follow shortly.
But… Global Warming theory is all about science. Believe me… Believe! Or I will denounce you as a heretic.
DANEgerus on January 24, 2008 at 4:54 PM
It’s called Outcome Based Science – Gore invented it.
bloggless on January 24, 2008 at 5:06 PM
Global Warmists its the Sun stupids!
canopfor on January 24, 2008 at 5:32 PM
I’m all confused! Save me Al Gore!
Grayson on January 24, 2008 at 5:42 PM
Yeah! And she never gives anything back.
Oldnuke on January 24, 2008 at 7:16 PM
Everyone knows Bush causes hurricanes.
ronsfi on January 24, 2008 at 7:56 PM
I didn’t know Global Warming could change its mind. I always though scientific “facts” were… you know, facts.
Well, I sure hope gravity doesn’t decide to change its mind and throw us off the Earth. That sure would ruin my day.
MaelstromX on January 24, 2008 at 8:00 PM
Does anyone else find it curious that almost all Global Warmingists (and Vegans/PETA people for that matter) are atheists, or antitheists, yet when it comes to their chosen cause, they argue and react to dissension in the same manner as do religious fanatics?
I know Ann Coulter does. She made a slew of cash on a book about it and was castigated by the High Priests of Liberalism.
Heh. I love that woman.
Montana on January 24, 2008 at 8:11 PM
I’m turning up my heater, now that it’s safe again.
Capitana on January 24, 2008 at 10:37 PM
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