Hurricanes and tropical storms will become less frequent by the end of the century as a result of climate change, US researchers have suggested. But the scientists added their data also showed that there would be a ‘modest increase’ in the intensity of these extreme weather events. The findings are at odds with some other studies, which forecast a greater number of hurricanes in a warmer world. The researchers’ results appear in the journal Nature Geoscience. The team from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (Noaa) Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) said its findings did not support the notion that human-induced climate change was causing an increase in the number of hurricanes and tropical storms. ‘There have been some studies published that have suggested that this is the case, but this modelling study does not support that idea,’ observed lead author Tom Knutson. ‘Rather, we actually simulate a reduction in hurricane frequency in the Atlantic.’ Eye of the storm Although the study projected that there would be fewer extreme weather events in the future, Dr Knutson said that these storms were likely to be more powerful. ‘The model is simulating increased […]