Dendrotempestology and the Isotopic Record of Tropical Cyclones in Tree Rings of the Southeastern United States

Abstract

Tropical cyclones (TCs) (hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones) are considered the natural hazard with the greatest potential for loss of life and destruction of property, for several reasons. First, TCs occur with greater frequency than many other destructive natural hazards, such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. This frequency, we are learning, depends on trends in ocean sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) (which can be monitored using the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO)) combined with other climatic factors, such as the presence/absence of El Niño and the extensiveness of easterly wave activity. Second, TCs disburse large amounts of energy, acting as a siphon and absorbing energy from the oceans and subsequently releasing it back to the atmosphere. Higher SSTs equate to greater amounts of latent heat and greater amounts of energy released during condensation during a tropical cyclone. Third, tropical cyclones are spatially extensive, from the eye wall of cumulonimbus clouds characterized by sustained and very damaging winds that can move in excess of 250 km/h (180 mph) to the spiral bands that can extend out hundreds of kilometers and capable of producing flooding rainfall. Fourth, tropical cyclones affect sub-tropical and extra-tropical locations, such as Southeastern Asia, where infrastructure is poor and there is very limited ability to provide early warnings or to evacuate human populations that often number in the millions.