Did We Cause Hurricane Sandy?

Last week, I discussed in my blog post the fact that the presidential candidates have stayed relatively mum on the issues of climate change and its potentially catastrophic effects on the environment and the future of our planet. Less than a week after this revelation made headlines, the east coast was hit with what the media is referring to as a "frankenstorm"or "superstorm" - an S-shaped storm that collided with a cold front to create what President Obama has officially declared a disaster in New York and New Jersey.

Kerry Emanuel, a climate scientist at MIT, is referring to the storm as a "hybrid storm," a type that scientists know very little about. He explained, "It is correct to say that in no individual [weather] event can you really make an attribution to anything, whether it is climate change or El Nino or your grandmother had her tooth pulled this morning."

Sandy, Emanuel explains, is a hybrid between a hurricane and a winter storm, and that it has many qualities from the two. The two different kinds of storms are powered by different types of energy sources - hurricanes from the evaporation of sea water and winter storms from a horizontal temperature contrast in the atmosphere. These storms are so powerful because they are powered by both types of energy.

Photo Courtesy of NASA/NOAA GOES Project Team

Emmanuel does not think that climate change caused by humans will increase the length of hurricane seasons going forward. He does, however, note that as water temperatures get warmer, for whatever reason - whether it be human caused or not, there will be an increase of rain and likelihood of such powerful storms. 

However, climate change may not be completely off the hook in this case. 

Another one of the factors that has made Sandy so catastrophic is the rising sea level. It is said by many climate specialists that the rising sea level is a result of warmer temperatures melting the ice caps. Because Sandy hit so many coastal areas, the rise in sea level has had catastrophic results as massive waves crashed far beyond the beach. 

Hurricane waves crash over Winthrop, Mass. on Monday
Photo Courtesy of Getty Images

Kevin Trenberth, a climate scientist for the National Center for Atmospheric Research, is a little more willing to place blame on climate change. He explains that the storm occurred in an area where water and air temperatures have been higher than usual, and this, he says is no coincidence. 

The added moisture from the higher temperatures along the east coast (approximately 5 degrees Farenheit higher than normal, one degree of which Trenberth says can be blamed on climate change) have greatly contributed to the power of this hybrid storm. 

Sandy is being called the worst storm to ever hit NYC by Mayor Bloomberg. It has left millions, including all of lower Manhattan without power. 

For more information of the events of Sandy as they unfolded, you can check Slate's live feed of the storm as it progressed on Monday night.