Shocking! Record S. Florida Rainfall Linked To Global Warming! Who Knew?!?!
Tropical Storm Eta’s record-breaking deluge may be part of a pattern of more intense rains and higher tides that have turned late fall in South Florida into a season of super floods. A new study from climate researchers at the University of Miami adds to the evidence that humans —and their greenhouse gas emissions — are largely to blame.
The study looked at the relationship between sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and rainfall in South Florida. It argues that greenhouse gas emissions from humans are the likely source of the hotter sea water and the more intense rains. “The water is warmer, and so the air above it is warmer. Warm air can hold more water. So that means there is more water available to rain when a storm comes through," said Jeremy Klavans, one of the study’s co-authors and a doctoral candidate at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences.
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There’s also been a steady increase in sea surface temperatures around the region. All-time record high water temperatures were recorded for January, April, July, August and October this year in South Florida, according to data from McNoldy. “It’s very unusual for us to have this kind of rainfall this late in the fall,” said David Enfield, a retired research scientist at the University of Miami. Back in 2001, Enfield published one of the first papers that analyzed the relationship between ocean temperatures and rainfall levels in South Florida.
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Scientists have observed that South Florida saw a 400% increase in high-tide flooding between 2006 and 2016, and sea levels around the peninsula have risen about 5½ inches since 1993. All the extra water in the ocean means that the 12 to 15 inches of rain that fell in parts of Broward due to Eta are having trouble draining into the sea.
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https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/weather/broward/fl-ne-humans-causing-increase-late-fall-flooding-south-florida-20201110-ugalh7jxjjhzzooiozf4eelql4-story.html
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