Title: “Unveiling the Destructive Power of ‘Medicane’ Storms: The Role of Climate Change”
Introduction:
Natural disasters have an immense impact on our lives and the environment. Recent developments in the world of meteorology have revealed the existence of a lesser-known but highly destructive weather phenomenon called “medicane” – a combination of “Mediterranean” and “hurricane.” These intense cyclones, characterized by hurricane-like attributes, can wreak havoc on the Mediterranean, Ionian Sea, and North African coast. In this article, we delve into the recent occurrence of Storm Daniel, a medicane that caused catastrophic flooding in Libya, and explore the potential connection between these storms and climate change.
Heading 1: The Wrath of Storm Daniel: Devastating Floods and Loss of Lives
– Storm Daniel, which hit several countries including Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Libya, left a trail of destruction in its wake.
– The flooding in Libya, triggered by this medicane, resulted in the collapse of dams in the city of Derna, leading to flash floods and loss of lives.
– The rarity of medicane occurrences, typically one to three times a year, amplifies the destructive power of these storms.
Heading 2: Unveiling Medicane Formation: Warmer Waters and Blocking Patterns
– Medicane storms thrive on warmer water temperatures, which have been prevalent in the eastern Atlantic and eastern Mediterranean, with deviations of 2-3°C from the norm.
– The blocking pattern of high pressure over Greece trapped Storm Daniel, intensifying its impact.
– The warmer sea surface temperatures not only fuel the storms’ intensity but also make them more ferocious, potentially exacerbating their frequency and severity.
Heading 3: The Climate Change Connection: Human Induced and Natural Variability
– Climate scientists argue that the transformation of Storm Daniel into a medicane is likely a consequence of the warmer sea surface temperatures induced by climate change.
– Although it is too early to attribute a single event definitively to climate change, rising temperatures increase the likelihood of extreme weather events.
– Lizzie Kendon from the University of Bristol emphasizes that while extreme events like Storm Daniel may occur due to natural climate variability, the influence of climate change cannot be overlooked.
Heading 4: Medicane Characteristics and Longevity
– Medicane storms exhibit tropical characteristics and usually retain them for up to three days, traveling long distances of 1,000 to 3,000 kilometers.
– With a typical range of 70 to 200 kilometers, medicane storms can persist for several days, causing continuous rainfall, storm surges, and strong winds.
– These storms often peak between September and January, but their occurrence can happen throughout the year.
Heading 5: Overwhelmed Infrastructure and Need for Better Weather Services
– The heavy rains associated with medicane Storm Daniel exposed the vulnerability of Libya’s infrastructure, resulting in widespread damage and loss of life.
– Experts highlight the importance of well-equipped weather services that provide accurate and timely information and warnings to mitigate the impacts of natural disasters.
– The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) emphasizes the need for improved weather services in countries prone to extreme weather events like Libya.
Heading 6: Looking Ahead: Expecting Unprecedented Extreme Events
– Climate change exacerbates the occurrence of extreme events, pushing them beyond what has been observed historically.
– The devastating floods caused by Storm Daniel serve as a warning of what we may increasingly experience in the future if appropriate measures are not taken.
– While the influence of natural climate variability cannot be undermined, the role of human-induced climate change in intensifying these events cannot be ignored.
Heading 7: Conclusion: Understanding and Adapting to Medicane Risks
– The emergence of medicane storms and the destructive power they possess highlight the urgency for comprehensive research and improved disaster prevention and response strategies.
– Mitigating the impacts of climate change, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, is crucial in curbing the frequency and intensity of these extreme weather events.
– It is essential for governments and communities to invest in better infrastructure, early warning systems, and preparedness plans to protect lives and minimize the damage caused by future medicane storms.
Summary:
Medicane Storm Daniel, a destructive cyclone with hurricane-like characteristics, caused catastrophic flooding and loss of lives in Libya. The incident sheds light on the impacts and potential connection between medicane storms and climate change. Warmer sea surface temperatures, influenced by climate change, fuel the intensity of these storms, while blocking patterns exacerbate their impact. Although the occurrence of medicane storms can be attributed to natural climate variability, rising temperatures increase the likelihood of extreme weather events. To mitigate the risks associated with medicane storms, it is crucial to improve weather services, enhance infrastructure, and adapt to the changing climate.
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Catastrophic flooding in Libya was fueled by a “medicane”, an intense cyclone with hurricane-like characteristics that can sweep over the Mediterranean, Ionian Sea and North African coast, scientists said.
Storm Daniel, which killed thousands of people when it hit Libya this week after hitting parts of Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey, caused dams to collapse in the port city of Derna.
The drugs are relatively rare, occurring one to three times a year, experts say, but can lead to devastating floods, storm surges and strong winds.
Storm Daniel hits Greece, Türkiye and Libya
© FT Source: EUMetsat
Animation showing rainfall from Storm Daniel over Greece, Turkey and Libya
Temperatures in the eastern Atlantic and eastern Mediterranean are 2-3°C higher than normal, creating storms with particularly heavy precipitation.
The region also experienced a blocking pattern of high pressure, which trapped the storm over Greece. When it finally moved, it evolved into a medicine that dumped large amounts of rain on Libya.
Torrential rains of between 150 mm and 240 mm caused flash floods in several cities, including Al-Bayda, which recorded the a record 414.1 mm in a 24-hour period.
The World Meteorological Organization said sea surface temperatures off the coast of Libya are above 27.5°C, increasing the risk of storms.
“The warmer water not only fuels these storms in terms of precipitation intensity, but also makes them more ferocious,” said Karsten Haustein, a climate scientist and meteorologist at the University of Leipzig. “The fact that Daniel can turn into a medicine. . . it is probably the result of warmer sea surface temperatures and therefore also of human-induced climate change.”
Most drugs have a range of 70 to 200 km and retain their tropical characteristics for up to three days. They can travel between 1,000 and 3,000 kilometers until they lose contact with the sea surfaces that fuel their energy. Although the phenomenon can occur year-round, activity usually peaks between September and January.
Experts said Libya’s infrastructure was clearly overwhelmed by the heavy rains.
Even if the dam had a spillway, the water level could be too high.
“If there has been very heavy rainfall over a fairly long period of time, the reservoir will fill up and the spillway will be activated because you want to prevent the water from overflowing over the dam and eroding the structure, which could lead to a loss of stability “said Simon Mathias of the University of Durham. “It is possible that the spillway could not carry the water away quickly enough.”
The WMO said many casualties could have been avoided if Libya had had a better weather service providing information and warnings. At least 5,500 people are declared dead and 10,000 they are missing.
Some academics have said it is too early to definitively link the event to climate change, although rising temperatures increase the likelihood of extreme weather events.
“We should expect extreme events unprecedented in the observational record to occur,” said Lizzie Kendon of the University of Bristol.
“Storm Daniel is an example of the type of devastating floods we may increasingly expect in the future, but such events can only occur due to natural climate variability, as has happened in the past.”
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