National Geographic has been investigating why winds are becoming more powerful. They think the background to winds mysteriously getting stronger may be down to climate change. Or a hitherto undetected natural cycle. Winds have picked up an average 5% in the past twenty years, they say and we need to understand why.
Extremely Strong Winds Mysteriously Increasing at a Faster Rate
Professor Ian Young, of Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia is leading the first global study into this phenomenon. His team has been examining historic wind speeds across a large swath of the planet, and has confirmed regional studies of winds mysteriously strengthening in several places.
Ian Young is Kernot Professor of Engineering at the University of Melbourne and hence approaches the climate question from a different perspective. He knows structures will have to become stronger if the trend continues. His headline finding is extremely strong winds caused by storms have increased even faster, jumping 10 percent over 20 years. This is confirmed by global satellite data and hence is credible.
How Bat-Like Sonar is Tracking Wind Speeds
The researchers collected data going back to 1985 from radio altimeters on satellites. These work similarly to bat echolocation, by shooting radio waves at Earth and listening to echoes bouncing back.
The radar echoes are fainter when winds are blowing hard, enabling them to estimate wind speeds over the oceans and set a trend line to the increase. “If this is related to global warming – and this is speculation,” Ian Young says, “then it indicates that either the intensity of storms or the frequency of storms is increasing.”
The phenomenon could impact coastal erosion, marine ecosystems, and design of coastal and offshore structures. Regardless of the reason for winds mysteriously strengthening in the past three decades, emergency services may need to prepare. However this could be positive news for wind power and its batteries.
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1 Comment
I have been noticing unseasonable storms or sudden unusual bursts of wind for 10 or so years in British Columbia, including wild thunderstorms in February. More trees than ever get knocked down. Bird nests blown out of branches. Rain is becoming either absent or torrential, putting further stress on animal’s survival.
It’s like a sleeping dragon is coming to life, raising his hackles, getting ready to blow some fire on ignorant humanity. Will there be a human Phoenix rising from the ashes in the distant future?