Atlantic Hurricane Calm: High Ocean Temperatures Not Enough
Here’s a breakdown of the text, focusing on the key details and its institution:
Overall Topic: The unusually quiet Atlantic hurricane season in 2024.
Key Points:
* Low Hurricane Activity: the Atlantic hurricane season has been remarkably inactive so far.
* Cause: Dry Air & Wind Shear: the primary reason is a combination of factors:
* High Subtropical Pressure: Record high air pressure in the subtropics.
* Dry Air Inflow: This pressure system is pushing dry desert air into the tropics.
* Dry Spring in Africa: A dry spring in Africa contributed to the conditions.
* Increased Vertical Wind Shear: Stronger vertical wind shear is suppressing tropical convection (the formation of storms).
* Saharan Dust: An unusually large amount of Saharan dust has been transported across the Atlantic, further suppressing storm progress.
* Potential for Change: There’s still a month and a half left in the hurricane season, and strong hurricanes can form late in the season (as seen in the previous year with Hurricanes Helene and Milton).
Structure:
- Image & Caption: A map showing ocean surface temperature anomalies in 2024, with a caption attributing the photo to C3S/ECMWF.
- Description of Causes (3 paragraphs): These paragraphs detail the atmospheric conditions leading to the quiet season. They explain the interplay of pressure systems, dry air, wind shear, and Saharan dust.
- Outlook (1 paragraph): This section offers a cautious note,stating that the season isn’t over and late-season storms are possible.
- Twitter Quote: A truncated Twitter quote is present at the end.
In essence, the article explains why the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season has been unusually calm, attributing it to specific atmospheric conditions, while also acknowledging the possibility of late-season storm development.