Campus News

Tropical impression

Earth and Sky, quoted Marshall Shepherd, associate professor of geography, in an article stating that tropical storms can do more to alleviate droughts than hurricanes can.
“In the last several years, there’s been a debate about whether global warming is leading to more hurricanes or more frequent, intense hurricanes.

We became interested in whether we could see if there’s an increase in hurricane-related rainfall as a possible signature of climate change, or global warming,” Shepherd said.
He added: “In terms of rainfall and drought, really, it doesn’t take a massive category 3,4 or 5 storm. Those are the storms that get the most attention during the hurricane season. But in terms of soaking, sustained rainfall, when we hear a tropical depression or storm is on the horizon, that’s good news for water resource managers, for refilling lake reservoirs, and possibly putting a dent in the large drought.”