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A12 science
Friday 13 May 2022

Study finds cleaner air leads to more

Atlantic hurricanes

aerosol pollution reduc-
tions level out, is another,
and there other natural
long-term climatic oscilla-
tions, Murakami said.
Climate change from
greenhouse gases is ex-
pected to reduce the over-
all number of storms slightly,
but increase the number
and strength of the most
intense hurricanes, make
them wetter and increase
This satellite image provided by the NOAA shows five tropical
storms churning in the Atlantic basin on Monday, Sept. 14, 2020. storm surge flooding, Mu-
Associated Press rakami, Kossin and other
scientists said.
By SETH BORENSTEIN the air — for fuel and are While aerosol cooling is
AP Science Writer harmed by wind shear, maybe half to one-third
Cleaner air in United States which changes in up- smaller than the warming
and Europe is brewing per level winds that can from greenhouse gases, it
more Atlantic hurricanes, a decapitate storm tops. is about twice as effective
new U.S. government study Cleaner air in the Atlantic in reducing tropical cy-
found. and dirtier air in the Pacific, clone intensity compared
The National Oceanic and from pollution in China and to warming increasing it,
Atmospheric Administra- India, mess with both of said Columbia University
tion study links changes in those, Murakami said. climate scientist Adam So-
regionalized air pollution In the Atlantic, aerosol bel, who wasn't part of the
across the globe to storm pollution peaked around study. As aerosol pollution
activity going both up and 1980 and has been drop- stays at low levels in the At-
down. A 50% decrease ping steadily since. That lantic and greenhouse gas
in pollution particles and means the cooling that emissions grow, climate
droplets in Europe and masked some of the green- change's impact on storms
the U.S. is linked to a 33% house gas warming is go- will increase in the future
increase in Atlantic storm ing away, so sea surface and become more promi-
formation in the past cou- temperatures are increas- nent, Murakami said.
ple decades, while the op- ing even more, Murakami In the Pacific, aerosol pollu-
posite is happening in the said. On top of that the tion from Asian nations has
Pacific with more pollution lack of cooling aerosols has gone up 50% from 1980 to
and fewer typhoons, ac- helped push the jet stream 2010 and is starting to drop
cording to the study pub- — the river of air that moves now. Tropical cyclone for-
lished in Wednesday's Sci- weather from west to east mation from 2001 to 2020
ence Advances. on a roller-coaster like path is 14% lower than 1980 to
NOAA hurricane scientist — further north, reducing 2000, Murakami said.
Hiroyuki Murakami ran nu- the shear that had been Murakami also found a cor-
merous climate comput- dampening hurricane for- relation that was a bit differ-
er simulations to explain mation. ent heading south. A drop
change in storm activity in "That's why the Atlantic has in European and American
different parts of the globe gone pretty much crazy aerosol pollution changed
that can't be explained since the mid-90s and why global air patterns in a way
by natural climate cycles it was so quiet in the 70s that it meant a decrease
and found a link to aero- and 80s," said climate and in southern hemisphere
sol pollution from industry hurricane scientist Jim Kos- storms around Australia.
and cars — sulfur particles sin of the risk firm The Cli- But as much as more hur-
and droplets in the air that mate Service. He wasn't ricanes in the Atlantic can
make it hard to breathe part of the study but said be a problem, the death
and see. it makes sense. The aero- from extra storms don't
Scientists had long known sol pollution "gave a lot of compare to the seven mil-
that aerosol pollution cools people in the 70s and 80s a lion people a year globally
the air, at times reducing break, but we're all paying who die from air pollution,
the larger effects of green- for it now." said University of Washing-
house gases from the burn- There are other factors in ton public health profes-
ing of fossil fuel and earlier tropical cyclone activity sor Kristie Ebi, who studies
studies mentioned it as a with La Nina and El Nino health, climate and ex-
possibility in increase in At- — natural fluctuations in treme weather.
lantic storms, but Murakami equatorial Pacific temper- "Air pollution is a major kill-
found it a factor around atures that alter climate er, so reducing emissions
the world and a more di- worldwide — being huge. is critical no matter what
rect link. Human-caused climate happens with the number
Hurricanes need warm wa- change from greenhouse of cyclones," said Ebi, who
ter — which is warmed by gases, that will grow as wasn't part of the study.q