Hurricane Harvey Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Climate change=== {{See also|Tropical cyclones and climate change}} The [[Gulf of Mexico]] is known for hurricanes in August, so their incidence alone cannot be attributed to [[global warming]], but the warming climate does influence certain attributes of storms. Studies in this regard show that storms tend to intensify more rapidly prior to landfall.<ref name="Wapo Aug27" /> Weather events are due to multiple factors, and so cannot be said to be caused by one precondition, but climate change affects aspects of extreme events, and very likely worsened some of the impacts of Harvey.<ref name="PIK Research Portal 31 Aug">{{cite web | author=Stefan Rahmstorf | author-link=Stefan Rahmstorf | title=Storm Harvey: impacts likely worsened due to global warming | website=[[Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research]] Research Portal | url=https://www.pik-potsdam.de/news/in-short/storm-harvey-impacts-worsened-due-to-global-warming | access-date=August 31, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831070041/https://www.pik-potsdam.de/news/in-short/storm-harvey-impacts-worsened-due-to-global-warming | archive-date=August 31, 2017 | url-status=live }}</ref> In a briefing, the [[World Meteorological Organization]] stated that the quantity of rainfall from Harvey had very likely been increased by climate change.<ref name="Miles Aug 29 2017">{{cite news | author=Tom Miles | title=Storm Harvey's rainfall likely linked to climate change: U.N. | agency=Reuters U.K. | date=August 29, 2017 | url=https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-storm-harvey-un-idUKKCN1B919O | access-date=August 31, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831072346/https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-storm-harvey-un-idUKKCN1B919O | archive-date=August 31, 2017 | url-status=live }}</ref> Harvey approached Houston over sea-surface waters which were significantly above average temperatures. Warm waters provide the main source of energy for hurricanes, and increased ocean heat can result in storms being larger, more intense and longer lasting, in particular bringing greatly increased rainfall.<ref name="Atlantic2717">{{cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/08/did-climate-change-intensify-hurricane-harvey/538158|date=August 27, 2017|work=The Atlantic|title=Did Climate Change Intensify Hurricane Harvey?|access-date=August 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828193702/https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/08/did-climate-change-intensify-hurricane-harvey/538158/|archive-date=August 28, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Wapo Aug27">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/08/25/what-you-can-and-cant-say-about-climate-change-and-hurricane-harvey|title=What you can and can't say about climate change and Hurricane Harvey|date=August 27, 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=August 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830230225/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/08/25/what-you-can-and-cant-say-about-climate-change-and-hurricane-harvey/|archive-date=August 30, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Sea level rise]] added to the resulting problems.<ref name="PIK Research Portal 31 Aug" /> According to officials from the Harris County Flood Control District, Harvey caused the third '500-year' flood in three years.<ref name="Wapo30Aug3rd500Event">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/08/29/houston-is-experiencing-its-third-500-year-flood-in-3-years-how-is-that-possible|title=Houston is experiencing its third '500-year' flood in 3 years. How is that possible?|date=August 30, 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=August 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831044940/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/08/29/houston-is-experiencing-its-third-500-year-flood-in-3-years-how-is-that-possible/|archive-date=August 31, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/09/08/549280066/hurricanes-are-sweeping-the-atlantic-whats-the-role-of-climate-change|title=Hurricanes Are Sweeping The Atlantic. What's The Role Of Climate Change?|first=Christpher|last=Joyce|work=[[NPR]]|publisher=National Public Radio|location=Washington, D.C.|date=September 8, 2017|access-date=September 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909052329/http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/09/08/549280066/hurricanes-are-sweeping-the-atlantic-whats-the-role-of-climate-change|archive-date=September 9, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/08/did-climate-change-intensify-hurricane-harvey/538158/|title=Did Climate Change Intensify Hurricane Harvey?|first=Robinson|last=Meyer|work=[[The Atlantic]]|location=Washington, D.C.|date=August 27, 2017|access-date=September 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911154824/https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/08/did-climate-change-intensify-hurricane-harvey/538158/|archive-date=September 11, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[National Climate Assessment]] states:{{blockquote|The recent increases in activity are linked, in part, to higher sea surface temperatures in the region that Atlantic hurricanes form in and move through. Numerous factors have been shown to influence these local sea surface temperatures, including natural variability, human-induced emissions of heat-trapping gases, and particulate pollution. Quantifying the relative contributions of natural and human-caused factors is an active focus of research.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nca2014.globalchange.gov/highlights/report-findings/extreme-weather#intro-section-2|title=Extreme Weather|publisher=National Climate Assessment|access-date=August 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830052059/http://nca2014.globalchange.gov/highlights/report-findings/extreme-weather#intro-section-2|archive-date=August 30, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>}} Warmer air can hold more water vapor, in accordance with the [[Clausius–Clapeyron relation]], and there has been a global increase of daily rainfall records.<ref name="PIK Research Portal 31 Aug" /> Regional [[sea surface temperature]]s around Houston have risen around 0.5 °C (0.9 °F) in recent decades, which caused a 3–5% increase in moisture in the atmosphere. This had the effect of allowing Harvey to strengthen more than expected.<ref name="Mann2817">{{cite news | author=Michael E. Mann | author-link=Michael E. Mann | title=It's a fact: climate change made Hurricane Harvey more deadly | website=the Guardian | date=August 28, 2017 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/28/climate-change-hurricane-harvey-more-deadly | access-date=August 28, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828142032/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/28/climate-change-hurricane-harvey-more-deadly | archive-date=August 28, 2017 | url-status=live }}</ref> The water temperature of the Gulf of Mexico was above average for this time of the year, and likely to be a factor in Harvey's impact.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/28/climate/how-hurricane-harvey-became-so-destructive.html|date=August 28, 2017|title=How Hurricane Harvey Became So Destructive|work=The New York Times|access-date=August 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828192049/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/28/climate/how-hurricane-harvey-became-so-destructive.html|archive-date=August 28, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Within a week of Harvey, [[Hurricane Irma]] formed in the eastern Atlantic, due to the similar conditions involving unusually warm seawater. Some scientists fear this may be becoming a 'new normal'. Also higher sea-water temperatures can make hurricanes more devastating.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/06/twin-megastorms-irma-harvey-scientists-fear-new-normal|title=Twin megastorms have scientists fearing this may be the new normal|first=Jonathan|last=Watts|work=[[The Guardian]]|location=[[Kings Place]], London|date=September 6, 2017|access-date=September 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909022026/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/06/twin-megastorms-irma-harvey-scientists-fear-new-normal|archive-date=September 9, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The slow movement of Harvey over Texas allowed the storm to drop prolonged heavy rains on the state, as has also happened with earlier storms.<ref name="NPR.org 28 8 2017" /> Harvey's stalled position was due to weak prevailing winds linked to a greatly expanded subtropical high pressure system over much of the US at the time, which had pushed the jet stream to the north. Research and model simulations have indicated an association between this pattern and human-caused climate change.<ref name="Mann2817" /><ref name="Mann Rahmstorf Kornhuber Steinman p=45242">{{cite journal | author1=Michael E. Mann | author2=Stefan Rahmstorf | author3=Kai Kornhuber | author4=Byron A. Steinman | author5=Sonya K. Miller | author6=Dim Coumou | title=Influence of Anthropogenic Climate Change on Planetary Wave Resonance and Extreme Weather Events | journal=Scientific Reports | publisher=Springer Nature | volume=7 | date=March 27, 2017 | issn=2045-2322 | doi=10.1038/srep45242 | page=45242| bibcode=2017NatSR...745242M | pmc=5366916 | pmid=28345645 }}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. 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