Cyclone action in Australia hits 1500-year low

• Autores: Michael Slezak
• Localización: New scientist, ISSN 0262-4079, Nº. 2954, 2014, pág. 14
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Cyclone activity in Australia has been lower over the last 40 years than at any time in the past 1500 years. But the seemingly good news comes with a sting in the tail for people living on the coast. Radar and satellite records of tropical cyclones--rotating storm systems--stretch back only about four decades. For an idea of trends on the longer term, researchers must go underground. Compared with typical monsoonal rains, the severe rains associated with tropical cyclones are unusually low in the heavier oxygen isotope--oxygen-18. Stalagmites forming in caves record this difference, so by analyzing their growth bands--which form each year in the wet season--geologists can establish whether or not a given year was characterized by cyclone activity.