Haiyan Typhoon
Haiyan Typhoon
The storm, described by some as "tropical cyclone perfection" and "off the charts," packed sustained winds of 195 miles (315 kilometers per hour), with gusts as strong as 235 miles (380 kilometers per hour).
Causes
The West Pacific has long been one of the most storm-struck spots on earth. On average, the Philippines suffers from eight or nine severe ones a year. But 2013 has seen record activity, with seven typhoons developing in the region in October alone.
However, the Atlantic is simultaneously enjoying one of its quietest hurricane seasons ever, and most scientists predict that the number of tropical storms will not increase – and may even decline – as the world warms up.
They do, by contrast, expect the ones that still occur to be stronger, thanks to increased heat in the climate system. But though there is some evidence of increased intensity from the Pacific in general and the Philippines in particular, no one knows whether this represents a trend.
Sea-level rise, caused by global warming, is another matter. Since 1900, the waters have crept up by about eight inches, on average, around the world, and the rate of increase has almost doubled over the past two decades. Higher seas have long been known disproportionately to contribute to greater storm surges: the one that hit New York as a result of Superstorm Sandy last year is a case in point.
As luck would have it, the recent rise near the Philippines has been the highest anywhere in the world, at three times larger than the global average, as natural changes in the winds have piled up the water. At the same time, abstracting too much groundwater has caused parts of the country to sink. And to make things even worse, Tacloban stands at the end of a bay that might have been designed to funnel water into destructive storm surges.
Impact of the storm
According to BBC reports on 12 November, 10,000 people may have died and 11 million people have been affected by the storm. The
The storm, described by some as "tropical cyclone perfection" and "off the charts," packed sustained winds of 195 miles (315 kilometers per hour), with gusts as strong as 235 miles (380 kilometers per hour).
Causes
The West Pacific has long been one of the most storm-struck spots on earth. On average, the Philippines suffers from eight or nine severe ones a year. But 2013 has seen record activity, with seven typhoons developing in the region in October alone.
However, the Atlantic is simultaneously enjoying one of its quietest hurricane seasons ever, and most scientists predict that the number of tropical storms will not increase – and may even decline – as the world warms up.
They do, by contrast, expect the ones that still occur to be stronger, thanks to increased heat in the climate system. But though there is some evidence of increased intensity from the Pacific in general and the Philippines in particular, no one knows whether this represents a trend.
Sea-level rise, caused by global warming, is another matter. Since 1900, the waters have crept up by about eight inches, on average, around the world, and the rate of increase has almost doubled over the past two decades. Higher seas have long been known disproportionately to contribute to greater storm surges: the one that hit New York as a result of Superstorm Sandy last year is a case in point.
As luck would have it, the recent rise near the Philippines has been the highest anywhere in the world, at three times larger than the global average, as natural changes in the winds have piled up the water. At the same time, abstracting too much groundwater has caused parts of the country to sink. And to make things even worse, Tacloban stands at the end of a bay that might have been designed to funnel water into destructive storm surges.
Impact of the storm
According to BBC reports on 12 November, 10,000 people may have died and 11 million people have been affected by the storm. The