To better understand the change in global hurricane intensity since 1970, we examined the joint distribution of hurricane intensity with variables identified in the literature as contributing to the intensification of hurricanes. We used a methodology based on information theory, isolating the trend from the shorter-term natural modes of variability. The results show that the trend of increasin...

Tropical forests in the Caribbean are often subject to catastrophic disturbances by hurricanes. Despite the high frequency and intensity of hurricanes in this region, their effect on tropical forest dynamics remain poorly understood. In an effort to better understand the importance of hurricanes to a Puerto Rican tropical forest, we employ Bayesian statistical methods to identify factors that m...

This paper addresses the identification of hurricanes in low-resolution global climate models (GCM). As hurricanes are not fully resolvable at the coarse resolution of the GCMs (typically 2.5 × 2.5 deg), indirect methods such as analyzing the environmental conditions favoring hurricane formation have to be sought. Nonetheless, the dynamical cores of the models have limitations in simulating hur...

The Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) Hurricane Prediction System was adopted by the U.S. National Weather Service as an operational hurricane prediction model in the 1995 hurricane season. The framework of the prediction model is described with emphasis on its unique features. The model uses a multiply nested movable mesh system to depict the interior structure of tropical cyclones....

This study investigated the effects of interviewer race on low-income African American female hurricane survivors' reports of racism during Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath (N = 41). Respondents were asked directly about the role of racism during the storm and evacuation by one of three interviewers (two White females and one African American female). Contrary to expectations, respondents we...

Hurricane exposure places youth at risk for psychological distress such as symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression, while social support may contribute to resilience following disasters. This study examined associations among family and peer social support, level of hurricane exposure, and psychological distress using both a large single-time assessment sample ...

Findings from a longitudinal study are presented on the relationships between the problems and stresses resulting from Hurricane Andrew and posthurricane minor deviant behavior. The sample (N = 4,978) included Hispanic, African-American, and White non-Hispanic middle school students enrolled in Dade County, Florida public schools. Two waves of data were collected prior to the hurricane; a third...

(i) Develop a three-dimensional hurricane-vortex initialization scheme using the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) data, radar, QuickSCAT, and other in situ and remote sensing observations; (ii) improve the formulations of cloud microphysics, boundary-layer physics and air-sea interactive processes in hurricane models; (iii) study the larger-scale environments that are favorable for, and ...

Measurements of the near surface horizontal wind field in a hurricane with spatial resolution of order 1–10 km are possible using airborne microwave radiometer imagers. An assessment is made of the information content of the measured winds as a function of the spatial resolution of the imager. An existing algorithm is used which estimates the maximum surface air pressure depression in the hurri...

In a simulation of enhanced tropical cyclones in a warmer world, Knutson and Tuleya make several assumptions that are not borne out in the real world. They include an unrealistically large carbon dioxide growth rate, an overly strong relationship between sea surface temperature and hurricane intensity, and the use of a mesoscale model that has shown little to no useful skill in predicting curre...