This study draws a straight line between global warming and Hurricane Sandy. They say the mechanism was last autumn's record Arctic ice melt. This is the first I recall where global warming has been specifically cited as a contributor to a particular event.
More Storms Like Sandy? Arctic Ice Loss Amplified Superstorm Sandy Violence
Quote:
The researchers assert that the record-breaking sea ice loss from summer 2012, combined with the unusual atmospheric phenomena observed in late October, appear to be linked to global warming.
A strong atmospheric, high-pressure blocking pattern over Greenland and the northwest Atlantic prevented Hurricane Sandy from steering northeast and out to sea like most October hurricanes and tropical storms from the Caribbean. In fact, Sandy traveled up the Atlantic coast and turned left "toward the most populated area along the eastern seaboard" and converged with an extratropical cyclone; this, in turn, fed the weakening Hurricane Sandy and transformed it into a monster tempest.
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