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A12 SCIENCE
Thursday 12 November 2020
Hurricanes stay stronger longer after landfall than in past

By SETH BORENSTEIN water that fuels them.
AP Science Writer It stops going, like a car that
Hurricanes are keeping runs out of gas, he said.
their staying power longer But hurricanes aren't run-
once they make landfall, ning out of gas as much, es-
spreading more inland de- pecially in the last 25 years
struction, according to a when the trend acceler-
new study. ated, Chakraborty said. To
Warmer ocean waters from find out why, he charted
climate change are likely the ocean temperature
making hurricanes lose near where the hurricane
power more slowly after had traveled and found it
landfall, because they act mirrored the decay trend
as a reserve fuel tank for on land.
moisture, the study found. Researchers then simu-
With Hurricane Eta threat- lated hurricanes that were
ening Florida and the Gulf identical except for water
Coast in a few days, the temperature.
study's lead author warned Seeing the warmer water
of more damage away storms decayed slower,
from the coast than in the they reached their conclu-
past. sion: The trend showing a
The new study looked slowdown of hurricane de-
at 71 Atlantic hurricanes cay resulted from warmer
with landfalls since 1967. It ocean water tempera-
found that in the 1960s, hur- tures, caused by the burn-
ricanes declined two-thirds In this Monday, Sept. 17, 2018 file photo, floodwaters surround a church and other buildings in ing of coal, oil and natural
in wind strength within 17 Conway, S.C., after Hurricane Florence struck the Carolinas. gas.
hours of landfall. But now "That's an amazing signal
it generally takes 33 hours in damage, took nearly 50 storms that just won't quit, of the study. that they found," said Na-
for storms to weaken that hours to decay by nearly Chakraborty said. There's less study of what tional Oceanic and Atmo-
same degree, according two-thirds after making "If their conclusions are hurricanes do once they spheric Administration cli-
to a study in Wednesday's landfall near Wrightsville sound, which they seem make landfall than out at mate and hurricane scien-
journal Nature. Beach, North Carolina, to be, then at least in the sea, so Chakraborty said tist Jim Kossin, who wasn't
"This is a huge increase," Chakraborty said. Hurri- Atlantic, one could argue he was surprised when he part of the study but did
study author Pinaki cane Hermine in 2016 took that insurance rates need saw a noticeable trend in review it for the journal Na-
Chakraborty, a professor of more than three days to to start going up and build- decay taking longer. Be- ture.
fluid dynamics at the Oki- lose that much power after ing codes need to be im- fore he started the study, This study joins previous
nawa Institute of Science hitting Florida's Apalachee proved ... to compensate Chakraborty said he fig- studies, many by Kossin,
and Technology in Japan. Bay. for this additional wind and ured the decline in power that show tropical systems
"There's been a huge slow- As the world warms from water destructive power shouldn't change over the are slowing down more,
down in the decay of hur- human-caused climate reaching farther inland," years even with man-made wetter, moving more to-
ricanes." change, inland cities like said University of Miami climate change, because ward the poles — and that
Hurricane Florence, which Atlanta should see more hurricane researcher Brian storms tend to lose strength the strongest hurricanes
in 2018 caused $24 billion damage from future McNoldy, who wasn't part when cut off from warm are getting stronger.q

Report: NASA needs more time, money to bring back Mars rocks

money it will take to bring ter landing in February. It's will require two separate
Mars rocks back to Earth aiming for Jezero Crater, launches from Earth.
in the coming decade, an believed to be an ancient The chairman of the review
independent panel said river delta that may have board, David Thompson,
Tuesday. once harbored microscop- retired chief executive of
The review board sug- ic life. Orbital ATK, told reporters
gested that NASA and the Scientists want to analyze a two-year launch delay
European Space Agency these samples in the best is advisable for the best
consider bumping the next labs on Earth, in hopes of chances of success. At
launches in the sample- ascertaining whether life the same time, however,
return effort from 2026 to ever existed in the planet's no one is suggesting that
2028, given all the techno- lush, wet past. The goal is NASA slow down, stressed
logical challenges. These to get the samples back in panel member Maria Zuber
delays will increase costs, the early 2030s. of the Massachusetts Insti-
pushing the planning bud- In order to do that, the tute of Technology.
get to $4 billion or more space agencies have NASA's science mission
In this Dec. 17, 2019 photo made available by NASA, engineers — $1 billion more than cur- teamed up to develop a chief, Thomas Zurbuchen,
watch the first driving test for the Mars 2020 rover, later named
"Perseverance," in a clean room at the Jet Propulsion Labora- rently envisioned by NASA, lander to fetch the sam- said the space agency will
tory in Pasadena, Calif. the panel noted. ples, a rocket to get them reassess the mission dates
Associated Press Already more than halfway off the Martian surface and and consider all options.
to Mars, NASA's Persever- an orbiting spacecraft to But for now, "it's full steam
By MARCIA DUNN — NASA is underestimating ance rover will hunt for the accept them and return ahead ... we're not taking
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) the amount of time and best geologic samples, af- them to Earth. All this gear a break in any fashion."q