The Effect of the North Atlantic Plastic Patch on Hurricanes

Abstract:

Every year, powerful hurricanes form over the warm Tropical Atlantic, making their way to land. These storms devastate the lives of civilians, property, and ecosystems. The presence of plastic and its concentrations in our oceans continues to increase exponentially through the years. The North Atlantic Garbage Patch is estimated to be several hundred kilo meters wide. Although research has shown a correlation between rising sea surface temperatures (SST) and hurricane behavior, the impact of plastic patch on hurricane behavior has not yet been fully analyzed and studied. Data from NOAA was used for identifying the coordinates, speeds, and durations of the hurricanes, while trawler datasets obtained from NOAA National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) was used for the plastic concentration estimates. Various data sets were constructed and mapped detailing the exact coordinate inputs of hurricanes and plastic concentrations by region. Studying the average wind speed of hurricanes by latitude (in knots) suggests greater wind speeds in the most concentrated plastic area of 22°N-38°N latitude (in the North Atlantic). Examining the relationship between a hurricane’s duration in the most concentrated plastic region and its power dissipation index (PDI) supports a more prominent positive correlation as time progressed and plastic concentration increased. We found that hurricanes with greater PDIs usually passed through greater amounts of plastic, while lower PDI hurricanes typically passed through lower levels of plastic concentrations.