VOA科学技术2024--Beryl May Mark Beginning of Dangerous Hurricane Season

Weather experts say the storm Hurricane Beryl might represent the beginning of a very active and dangerous hurricane season.

"It's the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record in the Atlantic, Caribbean and Central American basin," a World Meteorological Organization (WMO) spokesperson said of Beryl.

A Category 5 hurricane brings winds of 252 kilometers an hour or higher. Such storms can cause huge damage, including destruction¹ of homes, roads, and bridges.

The WMO spokesperson noted² that destructive³ power, saying "it only takes one land-falling hurricane to set back decades of development."

Unusual conditions

Beryl is on an unusually southern path, especially for a major hurricane, said Kristen Corbosiero of the University at Albany.

Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach said Beryl is possibly a sign of "more interesting stuff⁴" that could happen in the near future.

He added that there could be "several of these kinds of storms coming down later."

The water temperature around Beryl is about 1 to 2 degrees Celsius⁵ above normal, at 29 Celsius, which "is great if you are a hurricane," Klotzbach said.

Warm water acts as fuel for the thunderstorms and clouds that form hurricanes. The warmer the water and the air at the bottom of the storm, the better the chance it will rise higher in the atmosphere and create larger thunderstorms, said Corbosiero.

It is not just hot water at the surface that matters. The ocean heat content, which measures deeper water, is far above record levels for this time of year. The levels are currently⁶ at what the highest September levels should be, University of Miami researcher Brian McNoldy said.

This year, there is also a big difference between water temperature and upper air temperature throughout the tropics⁷.

The greater that difference is, the more likely it becomes that storms will form and get bigger, said MIT hurricane expert Kerry Emanuel. "The Atlantic relative to the rest of the tropics is as warm as I've seen," he said.

Atlantic waters have been unusually hot since March 2023 and record warm since April 2023. Klotzbach said a high-pressure system that normally⁸ sets up cooling trade winds collapsed⁹ then and has not returned.

Climate change

Corbosiero said scientists are debating what exactly climate change does to hurricanes. But she said scientists have come to an agreement that climate change makes hurricanes more likely to become strong quickly, as Beryl did, and increases the strongest storms.

Emanuel said the slowing of Atlantic ocean currents, likely caused by climate change, may also be a factor in the warm water.

La Nina, which is a slight cooling of the Pacific that changes weather worldwide, also may be a factor. Experts say La Nina tends to reduce high altitude winds that weaken¹⁰ hurricanes.

La Nina also usually means more hurricanes in the Atlantic and fewer in the Pacific. The Eastern Pacific had zero storms in May and June, something that has only happened twice before, Klotzbach said.

Globally, this may be a below average year for tropical¹¹ cyclones¹², except in the Atlantic.

Words in This Story

hurricane - n. a large, powerful storm that occurs especially in the western part of the Atlantic Ocean

decade - n. a period of ten years

tropics - n. plural¹³ the part of the world that is near the equator¹⁴

factor - n. something that helps produce or influence a result

altitude - n. the height of something above the level of the sea

1 destruction   

n.破坏，毁灭，消灭

参考例句：

• The enemy bombs caused widespread destruction.敌人的炸弹造成大面积的破坏。
• Overconfidence was his destruction.自负是他垮台的原因。

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 destructive   

adj.破坏（性）的，毁灭（性）的

参考例句：

• In the end,it will be destructive of our whole society.它最终会毁灭我们整个社会。
• It is the most destructive storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的一次风暴。

4 stuff   

n.原料，材料，东西；vt.填满；吃饱

参考例句：

• We could supply you with the stuff in the raw tomorrow.明天我们可以供应你原材料。
• He is not the stuff.他不是这个材料。

5 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

6 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

7 tropics   

(名)热带

参考例句：

• The disease is thought to have originated in the tropics. 这种疾病据说起源于热带地区。
• I went to the tropics for the first time last year. 我去年第一次去了热带地区。

8 normally   

adv.正常地，通常地

参考例句：

• I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
• My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。

9 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

10 weaken   

v.(使)变弱，(使)虚弱

参考例句：

• You can weaken the tea by adding water.你可以加水把茶弄得淡一些。
• We never weaken our efforts in face of difficulties.我们在困难面前从不软化我们的努力。

11 tropical   

adj.热带的，热带的，炎热的

参考例句：

• You must grow these tropical flowers in a glasshouse.你必须把这些热带花卉种在温室里。
• This disease is widespread in tropical areas.这种疾病在热带地区蔓延很广。

12 cyclones   

n.气旋( cyclone的名词复数 )；旋风；飓风；暴风

参考例句：

• The pricipal objective in designing cyclones is to create a vortex. 设计旋风除尘器的主要目的在于造成涡旋运动。 来自辞典例句
• Middle-latitude cyclones originate at the popar front. 中纬度地区的气旋发源于极锋。 来自辞典例句

13 plural   

n.复数；复数形式；adj.复数的

参考例句：

• Most plural nouns in English end in's '.英语的复数名词多以s结尾。
• Here you should use plural pronoun.这里你应该用复数代词。

14 equator   

n.赤道，（平分球形物体的面的）圆

参考例句：

• Singapore is near the equator.新加坡位于赤道附近。
• The United States is north of the equator.美国位于赤道以北。