Mass General Brigham study reveals that ED visits and death are heightened weeks after major climate-driven extreme weather events – highlighting the long-lasting impacts these events may have on health and infrastructure
In a mini-review published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal from the American Association for Cancer Research, Moffitt Cancer Center researchers shed light on the significant gaps in understanding and addressing the effects of hurricanes and extreme weather events on biological, psychosocial and clinical outcomes among cancer survivors.
For more than 50 years, the National Hurricane Center has used the Saffir-Simpson Windscale to communicate the risk of property damage; it labels a hurricane on a scale from Category 1 (wind speeds between 74 - 95 mph) to Category 5 (wind speeds of 158 mph or greater). But as increasing ocean temperatures contribute to ever more intense and destructive hurricanes, climate scientists wondered whether the open-ended Category 5 is sufficient to communicate the risk of hurricane damage in a warming climate.
Coastal cities and communities will face more frequent major hurricanes with climate change in the coming years. To help prepare coastal cities against future storms, MIT scientists have developed a method to predict how much flooding a coastal community is likely to experience as hurricanes evolve over the next decades.
An assistant professor of atmospheric and Earth science at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of the University of Alabama System, has been awarded $530,139 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Program Office to improve the accuracy of forecasting high wind events such as squall lines and hurricanes within the NOAA next generation of weather forecasting models, the United Forecast System.
Stony Brook University Professor Kevin Reed has been appointed Associate Provost for Climate and Sustainability Programming, as announced by Executive Vice President and Provost Carl Lejuez.
New research by Rowan University climate scientist Dr. Andra Garner indicates that there have been great changes to Atlantic hurricanes in just the past 50 years, with storms developing and strengthening faster.
To reduce the human, economic and related risks of blackouts and other types of infrastructure failures, a team associated with the Emerging Energy Markets Analysis initiative, based at Idaho National Laboratory, used a novel framework for assessing critical infrastructure’s resilience.
Hurricanes, floods, heat waves and other disasters are striking the United States with increased severity and frequency, and since 2000 the Federal Disaster Mitigation Act has required states and local jurisdictions to have plans in place to reduce damages from such events.
The need for “real-time” forecasting of tropical cyclones is more necessary than ever given the impact of climate change on rainfall amounts. Two climate scientists suggest Hurricane Ian can be used as a blueprint for rapid operational climate change attribution statements about extreme storms, in a paper published in the journal Environmental Research: Climate.
Intense tropical cyclones are one of the most devastating natural disasters in the world due to torrential rains, flooding, destructive winds, and coastal storm surges.
In a remarkable breakthrough in the field of Mathematical Science, Professor Kyudong Choi from the Department of Mathematical Sciences at UNIST has provided an irrefutable proof that certain spherical vortices exist in a stable state.
Hurricanes Idalia and Lee have already packed a punch, but climatologists are now predicting more hurricanes this season, which doesn’t end until Nov. 30. Though previous projections suggested a milder hurricane season, we’re now on track for the eighth consecutive year of above-average activity.
Study led by risk management expert Clifford Rossi for UMD’s Smith Enterprise Risk Consortium assesses hurricane risk across the United States and focuses on economically vulnerable mortgage borrowers in Florida.
Tropical Storm Hilary packed a punch but wasn’t nearly as devastating as it could have been. Meanwhile Tropical Storm Franklin is battering the Caribbean. As we enter the height of hurricane season, Virginia Tech has a team of coastal experts available who can provide insight about hurricanes, flash flooding, storm surge, sea-level rise and emergency response.
Researchers are using data from Hurricane Maria to assess the critical infrastructure vulnerabilities that still exist in Puerto Rico around extreme weather events, specifically for socially vulnerable populations.
Cancer centers are uniquely positioned to protect cancer patients from climate-driven disasters, but researchers identified significant shortcomings in emergency preparedness when it came to climate-related disasters.
Record-breaking high temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean combined with El Niño spell uncertainty for the Atlantic hurricane season. El Niño, known to reduce hurricane activity in the Atlantic basin, developed early this summer. With the conflicting factors of El Nino in the Pacific leading to fewer hurricanes and warm Atlantic Ocean temperatures favoring hurricane development, seasonal forecasts are for near-normal activity with lower confidence than other years.
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Disaster Assessment and Recovery, DAR, unit is expanding its statewide disaster preparedness, response and recovery efforts following the appropriations to support the “Keeping Texas Prepared” initiative in the 88th legislative session.
With hurricane season just starting, Rhode Island has a new storm modeling system that will provide state and local emergency management officials with up-to-the-second information on wind strength and flooding to allow them to make real-time decisions.
As human-driven climate change amplifies natural disasters, hurricanes and typhoons stand to increase in intensity. Until now, there existed very few freely available computer models designed to estimate the economic costs of such events, but a team of researchers led by Jane W. Baldwin at the University of California, Irvine recently announced the completion of an open-source model that stands to help countries with high tropical cyclone risks better calculate just how much those storms will impact their people and their economies.
The 2022 Atlantic hurricane season was among the most damaging and deadly in modern history, but that isn’t necessarily an indicator for 2023. According to Virginia Tech meteorologist Stephanie Zick most seasonal forecasts are predicting a near average season, which goes from June 1 to November 30. NOAA’s outlook predicts a 40% chance of a near-normal season, with numbers similar to last year.
As we enter the summer months in the Northern Hemisphere and the possibility of extreme heat becomes more common, it’s important to stay up-to-date on the science of heat waves and take measures to protect ourselves from this growing public health threat.
With the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season officially starting on June 1 and ending Nov. 30, several Florida Atlantic University faculty experts are available to discuss various issues surrounding hurricane preparedness, evacuation and aftermath.
A new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) shows that the world’s average temperature could breach a record 1.5 Celsius of warming compared to pre-Industrial Revolution levels. News reports call the WMO announcement a critical warning of an average world temperature limit in the face of climate. Researchers indicate the threshold could be broken as early as 2027.
By: Bill Wellock | Published: May 17, 2023 | 3:32 pm | SHARE: From the atmospheric disturbances that generate them to the insurance market that helps in their aftermath, there is much to understand about hurricanes.Florida State University faculty are world leaders in the study of hurricanes, the effects of these destructive storms and solutions for mitigating their impacts.
Title 42, the United States pandemic rule that had been used to immediately deport hundreds of thousands of migrants who crossed the border illegally over the last three years, has expired. Those migrants will have the opportunity to apply for asylum. President Biden's new rules to replace Title 42 are facing legal challenges. Border crossings have already risen sharply, as many migrants attempt to cross before the measure expires on Thursday night. Some have said they worry about tighter controls and uncertainty ahead. Immigration is once again a major focus of the media as we examine the humanitarian, political, and public health issues migrants must go through.
An increasing number of Floridians agree that human actions are causing climate change, including a record number of Florida Republicans. Virtually all respondents (90 percent) believe climate change is happening, with 65 percent attributing the causes to human actions, including 49 percent of GOP voters. Belief in and concern about human-caused climate change appears to be translating into support for policies to reduce emissions and reduce impacts. The explanation for this emerging consensus may be grounded in people’s lived experiences with weather events.
Storm-DEPART helps utilities refine their damage estimates by combining utility infrastructure data with weather data from the National Hurricane Center to efficiently deploy restoration resources.
Researcher will discuss the study which involved a sleeping aid known as suvorexant that is already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for insomnia, hints at the potential of sleep medications to slow or stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
The multidisciplinary team created a virtual simulation of the devastation that a Category 5 hurricane and sea level rise could have on West Palm Beach. The simulation, produced with 3D technology, reveals the destruction that could occur in Osprey Park and the surrounding communities, highlighting the threat to the coastline and potential solutions for coastal areas.
The Virginia Tech media relations office has the following experts available for interviews surrounding the environment, energy, and sustainability. To schedule an interview, please contact [email protected]. Rising seas threatens U.S. coastlines and cities A recently released report from the U.N. on climate change found that rising sea levels are "unavoidable for centuries to millennia due to continuing deep ocean warming and ice sheet melt, and sea levels will remain elevated for thousands of years.
Researchers estimated that climate change-related natural disasters have increased since 1980 and have already cost the United States more than $2 trillion in recovery costs. Their analysis also suggests that as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and the global temperature continue to rise, the frequency and severity of disasters will increase, with recovery costs potentially rising exponentially.
Researchers focus a lot of attention on how disasters such as hurricanes and floods affect people’s housing in the United States. But a new national study found that housing is also important before disasters happen: People with homes not meeting federal quality classifications and those who are housing insecure tend to be less prepared to face natural calamities.
The risk of death rises among older adults with Alzheimer's or other dementias in the months following exposure to a hurricane, a new University of Michigan study shows.