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Weinkle, Maue & Pielke paper referenced in Washington Post on super typhoons
Everything you need to know about “super typhoons”
by Brad Plumer
What are the long-term trends in tropical cyclones?
It’s not very clear. Last year, three researchers at the University of Colorado and the Naval Research Laboratory did their best to reconstruct a worldwide database for hurricanes or typhoons that made landfalls between 1970 and 2010.
Their conclusion? “The analysis does not indicate significant long-period global or individual basin trends in the frequency or intensity of landfalling [tropical cyclones] of minor or major hurricane strength.” Here’s the chart:
(And, for those curious, here is a preliminary estimate by the authors extending the data out to 2012.)
The authors of that paper, Jessica Weinkle, Ryan Maue, and Roger Pielke Jr., note that the economic damage from tropical cyclones does appear to be increasing worldwide. But this may be a function of people building more buildings in areas prone to hurricanes and typhoons, rather than an uptick in storm intensity or frequency. Read more …
