Abstract
In 2014 and 2015, post-monsoon extremely severe cyclonic storms (ESCS) - defined by the WMO as tropical storms with lifetime maximum winds greater than 46 m s -1 - were first observed over the Arabian Sea (ARB), causing widespread damage. However, it is unknown to what extent this abrupt increase in post-monsoon ESCSs can be linked to anthropogenic warming, natural variability, or stochastic behaviour. Here, using a suite of high-resolution global coupled model experiments that accurately simulate the climatological distribution of ESCSs, we show that anthropogenic forcing has likely increased the probability of late-season ECSCs occurring in the ARB since the preindustrial era. However, the specific timing of observed late-season ESCSs in 2014 and 2015 was likely due to stochastic processes. It is further shown that natural variability played a minimal role in the observed increase of ESCSs. Thus, continued anthropogenic forcing will further amplify the risk of cyclones in the ARB, with corresponding socio-economic implications.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 885-889 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Nature Climate Change |
Volume | 7 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 1 2017 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Environmental Science (miscellaneous)
- Social Sciences (miscellaneous)