Scientists fear major 2010 hurricanes

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=129115&sectionid=3510203



The new hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean, boosted by the projected La Nina phenomenon, might make 2010 one of the most dangerous hurricane seasons ever.

The US National Hurricane Center says the new hurricane season, which began on June 1, might entail about 14 storms reaching hurricane strength, with almost half of them achieving "major" hurricane status of category three or above, New Scientist reported on Friday.

According to scientists, hurricanes in the north Atlantic mostly form, due to Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation, a temporal cycle lasting from two to four decades during which sea-surface temperatures from Greenland to the equator rise and fall by about 0.5 °C.

This year, however, hurricanes might receive a boost from a weakening El Nino period in the Pacific Ocean and feed on energies from the countering La Nina, ocean-atmospheric temperature fluctuations, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has been reported as saying.

The hurricane season has also sparked worries about the US oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico, with scientists fearing major contaminations of US coastlines as a northwardly hurricane in the area could push the oil spill toward the shore and drive large amounts of oil and other chemicals well inland, destroying US marshlands around the Gulf coast.