Tropical cyclones: current characteristics and potential changes under a warmer climate

This fact sheet describes a research project led by the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) aimed at improving the understanding and forecasting of tropical cyclones in the Eastern Pacific, particularly regarding their intensification, evolution, and the potential impacts of global warming.

• The Eastern Pacific is identified as having the highest density of tropical cyclones globally, which frequently cause catastrophic landslides, flooding, and rains upon making landfall.
• Initial research indicates that atmospheric circulations are key determinants for rainfall and storm tracks in the region. Specifically, a study of three cyclones hitting northwestern Mexico highlighted that track prediction in the Eastern Pacific requires a better understanding of external factors, such as warm dry air flowing from the western United States.
• The project has focused on capacity building and data collection, training over 100 students in the theory and practice of tropical cyclone evolution and creating a historical database of cyclones that hit Mexican Pacific States using government reports and newspaper articles.
• The project concludes that hurricane science requires further development and that data collection and climate studies at the regional level must be expanded to ensure regional risks are accurately assessed.

APA

de Raga, G. B., Zavala-Hidalgo, J., Molina, L. F., Sesma, J. S., Orzo, R. P., Montante, S., Raymond, D., Martínez, D., Mitrani, I., Lizano, O., Pozo, D., Centeno, R. R., Marin, J., Oropeza, F., & Cisneros, J. (2010). Tropical cyclones: current characteristics and potential changes under a warmer climate. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/03/CRN2_48.pdf

Chicago

de Raga, Graciela Binimelis, Jorge Zavala-Hidalgo, Luis Farfan Molina, Jorge Sanchez Sesma, Ricardo Prieto Orzo, Sanchez Montante, David Raymond, et al. Tropical cyclones: current characteristics and potential changes under a warmer climate. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, 2010. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/03/CRN2_48.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{deraga2010tropical, author = {de Raga, Graciela Binimelis and Zavala-Hidalgo, Jorge and Molina, Luis Farfan and Sesma, Jorge Sanchez and Orzo, Ricardo Prieto and Montante, Sanchez and Raymond, David and Martínez, Daniel and Mitrani, Ida and Lizano, Omar and Pozo, Diana and Centeno, Rosario Romero and Marin, Julio and Oropeza, Fernando and Cisneros, Jorge}, title = {{Tropical cyclones: current characteristics and potential changes under a warmer climate}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2010}, month = feb, url = {https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/03/CRN2_48.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }