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> All the science tells is that there is more energy available for things like hurricane and cyclones which are powered by the difference between surface and at

by pdonis 5y ago

> All the science tells is that there is more energy available for things like hurricane and cyclones which are powered by the difference between surface and atmospheric temperatures Actually, they're powered ultimately by the difference between polar and tropical temperatures, correct? A cyclone is basically just a big thing that transports energy from the tropics to the poles to equalize an imbalance. And warming affects the poles more than the tropics, so the difference between polar and tropical temperatures, and hence the energy available for cyclones, should be decreasing, not increasing.

magicalist 5y ago
> Actually, they're powered ultimately by the difference between polar and tropical temperatures, correct? No, vast majority of energy is from warm surface waters vs temperatures up into the troposphere.
- pdonis 5y ago
  Once an individual cyclone gets going, that makes it stronger, yes. But what happens to cyclones? They don't just sit in the same place. They move, generally speaking, from the tropics towards the poles. That's what cyclones are doing from the perspective of the climate system as a whole, which is what the post I responded to was talking about: they're transporting energy from the tropics to the poles. (Of course they aren't the only things that do that: the overall circulation of the atmosphere does it all the time. Cyclones are just one piece of that overall picture.)
  - magicalist 5y ago
    > Once an individual cyclone gets going, that makes it stronger, yes. No, that's what makes and maintains a cyclone. Trade winds primarily just move it. I have no idea if trade winds are expected to fade with climate change, that's an interesting question. There will always be differentials, though, so I don't think there's reason to assume hurricanes/cyclones will stay put.
    - pdonis 5y ago
      I think we're talking past each other. You're talking about individual cyclones; I'm talking about the overall effects for cyclones in general.

by pdonis 5y ago

magicalist 5y ago

> Actually, they're powered ultimately by the difference between polar and tropical temperatures, correct? No, vast majority of energy is from warm surface waters vs temperatures up into the troposphere.

pdonis 5y ago
Once an individual cyclone gets going, that makes it stronger, yes. But what happens to cyclones? They don't just sit in the same place. They move, generally speaking, from the tropics towards the poles. That's what cyclones are doing from the perspective of the climate system as a whole, which is what the post I responded to was talking about: they're transporting energy from the tropics to the poles. (Of course they aren't the only things that do that: the overall circulation of the atmosphere does it all the time. Cyclones are just one piece of that overall picture.)
- magicalist 5y ago
  > Once an individual cyclone gets going, that makes it stronger, yes. No, that's what makes and maintains a cyclone. Trade winds primarily just move it. I have no idea if trade winds are expected to fade with climate change, that's an interesting question. There will always be differentials, though, so I don't think there's reason to assume hurricanes/cyclones will stay put.
  - pdonis 5y ago
    I think we're talking past each other. You're talking about individual cyclones; I'm talking about the overall effects for cyclones in general.