Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

El Nino's Absence Is Causing An Active Hurricane Season (mercurynews.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the active-ingredient dept.

Dan Drollette writes: Contrary to some items making the rounds of the Twitterverse, El Nino's are "Kryptonite for hurricanes." The Mercury News reports: "Irma has ripped a path of misery through the Caribbean and is aiming at Florida, but the first seed for its monster size and force was planted on the other side of the world more than six months ago. It happened innocently enough, when a widely anticipated El Nino failed to materialize over the Pacific Ocean. In time, that cleared a path for a hurricane to form in the Atlantic that grew to the size of the state of New York with winds topping 185 miles per hour. El Nino occurs when the Pacific heats up and flusters the atmosphere, setting off a chain reaction that causes wind shear across the Atlantic. Shear is wind blowing in different directions or speeds at various altitudes, and it can be Kryptonite for hurricanes. As powerful as they are, tropical cyclones have delicate structures. Shear can tear them apart. A budding storm can't get started and an established storm can't get strong."

5 of 148 comments (clear)

  1. Wow, slashdot has gone down hill by thsths · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This used to be a place for eccentric and intelligent people to talk about technology and science. But this sounds more like a pub discussion of ignorant backwater folks now.

    1. Re: Wow, slashdot has gone down hill by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The alt-right infested Slashdot not long ago. You can imagine what that did to the average intelligence level here.

  2. Re:El Nino and climate changes by hey! · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is a typical conspiracy theory in that it posits people acting in ways that are against their interests.

    If you wanted to make a bundle as a climate scientist, you'd find credible proof that anthropogenic climate change isn't happening. The people who have the most money under the status quo are the ones who profit from the status quo.

    --
    Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
  3. Re:El Nino and climate changes by dywolf · · Score: 3, Insightful

    don't take any tax incentives

    you first, obvious oil industry shill,

    --
    The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
  4. Re:El Nino and climate changes by dywolf · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Except that nobody ever made money saying "everything is all right, nothing to see here".

    Right.
    The oil industry doesnt benefit at all from trying to bury climate research.
    Just like the tobacco industry before them and supressing the link between nicotine and cancer.

    Riiiiiight.

    --
    The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.