Changes in Atlantic Tropical Cyclones and the Bermuda High: Clues from the Last Millennium to Inform the Future

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dc.contributor.advisorDee, Sylviaen_US
dc.creatorPitchon, Emiliaen_US
dc.date.accessioned2023-05-02T17:09:16Zen_US
dc.date.available2023-05-02T17:09:16Zen_US
dc.date.issued2023en_US
dc.description.abstractCurrent anthropogenic climate change is expected to increase hurricane intensity, with stronger winds, higher rainfall, and increased flooding, all of which pose a major threat to coastal communities. However, climate models vary in their predictions of how climate change will impact hurricane frequency and tracks, and 20th century data sources are limited given the brevity of the satellite era. To address this knowledge gap, we study the strength and position of the Bermuda High and how it has changed over the past millennium. The Bermuda High is a semipermanent high-pressure system over the Atlantic Ocean which impacts hurricane tracks and steering currents. To study its behavior, we evaluate two climate products with sea level pressure data spanning the past 1000 years: the Last Millennium Reanalysis and the Community Earth System Model. We compare various Bermuda High indices (BHI) as defined by previous studies, representing different measures of position and strength of the high-pressure system. Maps of sea level pressure anomalies and hurricane tracks are generated during years with high vs. low BHI values. This allows us to better understand the relationship between the Bermuda High and hurricane characteristics over the last 1000 years, providing important context for the future. This work is critical to better constrain hurricane risks under anthropogenic climate change and may help protect the people and environments at risk.en_US
dc.format.extent31 ppen_US
dc.identifier.citationPitchon, Emilia. "Changes in Atlantic Tropical Cyclones and the Bermuda High: Clues from the Last Millennium to Inform the Future." Undergraduate thesis, Rice University, 2023. https://doi.org/10.25611/5GRD-W804.en_US
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.25611/5GRD-W804en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/114867en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherRice Universityen_US
dc.rightsThis item is shared under a Creative Commons License- Attribution (CC BY)en_US
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en_US
dc.subjecthurricanesen_US
dc.subjecttropical cyclonesen_US
dc.subjectBermuda Highen_US
dc.titleChanges in Atlantic Tropical Cyclones and the Bermuda High: Clues from the Last Millennium to Inform the Futureen_US
dc.type.dcmiTexten_US
dc.type.genreThesisen_US
thesis.degree.departmentEarth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciencesen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineNatural Sciencesen_US
thesis.degree.grantorRice Universityen_US
thesis.degree.levelUndergraduateen_US
thesis.degree.nameSenior Thesisen_US
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