9/11/18: The entire coast of South Carolina is under a mandatory evacuation order as Hurricane Florence, a Category 4 storm churns toward landfall. Florence has been picking up added strength as it passes over Atlantic waters that in places are three degrees warmer than normal. And if you think humanity can’t degrade its environment you don’t know your history, or your current events.
As scientist have predicted, higher temperatures mean more water evaporates and rises into the air. The warmer air turns moisture into vapor and the vapor remains suspended. The warmer air “holds” the vapor longer and more intense rainstorms result. Consider Hurricane Harvey, which dumped a record 51.88 inches of rain on Houston in what experts described as a “once-in-a-thousand-years flood” last summer.
Consider a second warning sign as waters off Florida heat. Hotter waters are a perfect breeding ground for harmful microorganisms. As of today, a “red tide” of toxic algae, stretching 130 miles along the Florida Gulf Coast has remained in place since November 2017. Toxins released by the algae kill fish, manatees, sea turtles and other marine mammals. The sight and smell of rotting fish and other sea creatures littering the sands keeps tourists away. Like President Trump, Florida Governor Rick Scott thinks there are too many regulations protecting the environment. Now he has been forced to declare a state of emergency for seven counties “where waterways and coastlines are filled with putrid fish floating in brass-colored water.”
“Red tides” are increasingly common, just as scientists
predicted, as oceans round the world heat.
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Red tides are a result of warmer-than-normal water - as are more intense hurricanes. |
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