Climatologist says Sandy not caused by global warming | News

HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF)- "IT'S GLOBAL WARMING, STUPID!"

That's the bold declaration from Bloomberg Businessweek's November 6th edition.

Following Hurricane Sandy, several scientists and journalists have asked if the storm's destruction can be blamed on climate change.

Alabama's top climatologist and UA-Huntsville professor, Dr. John Christy, does not agree with the conjecture. He said claims that the size of Hurricane Sandy may have been affected by global warming are not backed by the facts.

"Hurricane Sandy was a minimal hurricane. So, it is no way indicative of arising trends in hurricanes that might be attributed to global warming," Christy said.

He said Sandy was unusual because a low intensity hurricane typically cannot survive long enough to hit such a large area.

"It occurred during a high tide. The moon was full. It occurred at a time when a very cold upper level trough was coming through the east coast, which helped keep it alive after it hit the land," Christy said.

None of that, he added, is related to climate change. He said there is no evidence that global warming is causing more major storms.

"We've looked at hurricanes starting in the 1850's. There is no trend in hurricanes. In fact, if you look at the last seven years, there has not been single major hurricane hit the United States. This is the longest period of such a dearth of hurricanes in that entire record," Christy said.

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