Warmer future, stronger hurricanes?

The document describes a study using proxy data—statistical climate models and sedimentary records—to reconstruct Atlantic hurricane activity from AD 500 to the present. It finds that while there is a current peak in activity, a similar peak occurred during the medieval period (AD 900-1100), which was associated with warm Atlantic sea surface temperatures. The research indicates that hurricane activity decreased after AD 1500, coinciding partly with the Little Ice Age, before increasing again after 1850 and especially after 1980.

• Reconstructions of Atlantic hurricane activity over the last 1,500 years reveal a peak during the medieval period (approximately AD 900-1100) that is comparable in scale to current levels of activity.
• There is a correlation between warm Atlantic sea surface temperatures and increased hurricane frequency, with the medieval peak linked to warm temperatures and the subsequent decline partially coinciding with the Little Ice Age between the 16th and 19th centuries.
• Hurricane activity in the Atlantic decreased after AD 1500 and began to increase again after 1850, with a more pronounced acceleration occurring after 1980.
• Researchers used 'proxy' data to estimate prehistoric hurricane activity, specifically employing statistical climate models based on air and ocean temperature and analyzing sedimentary 'overwash' layers in coastal lakes and lagoons from New England to Puerto Rico.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2010). Warmer future, stronger hurricanes? https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/06/Snapshot2_warmer_future.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Warmer future, stronger hurricanes? 2010. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/06/Snapshot2_warmer_future.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Warmer future, stronger hurricanes? |date=2010 |url=https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/06/Snapshot2_warmer_future.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2010warmer, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Warmer future, stronger hurricanes?}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2010}, url = {https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/06/Snapshot2_warmer_future.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }