Oceanographers have found that a hurricane can be considerably strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico through the compounding effects of two extreme weather events. This process could continue in the future as ocean temperatures continue to rise around the world, according to a study co-authored by a Texas A&M University at Galveston professor.
Kyeong Park, professor and head of the Department of Marine and Coastal Environmental Science at Texas A&M-Galveston, and colleagues have had their work published in Nature Communications.
The team examined Hurricane Michael, the first Category 5 hurricane on record to impact the Florida Panhandle in October 2018. Prior to Hurricane Michael, Tropical Storm Gordon in early September mixed cold bottom water with warm surface water, lowering the surface water temperature and increasing the capacity of absorbing more heat.
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