Open AccessHurricanes could increase over western Europe
Author(s) -
Balcerak Ernie
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1002/2013eo260010
Subject(s) - baroclinity , middle latitudes , climatology , storm , tropical cyclone , extratropical cyclone , climate change , western europe , winter storm , oceanography , environmental science , geography , geology , european union , business , economic policy
Damaging hurricanes are familiar along the North American East Coast but are relatively rare in western Europe. That could change as Earth's climate warms over the next century, according to a new study. Western European coastal areas do occasionally experience hurricane force storms in the current climate, but these occur mainly in winter and are formed not as tropical cyclones but by the midlatitude atmospheric baroclinic instability, which is driven by the north‐south atmospheric temperature gradient.