SENTINEL WATCH October 6, 2008 Issue

IS THERE EVER AN UPSIDE TO HURRICANES?

CHANNING WALKER

NOT IF YOU'RE IN THE PATH of destruction. Not if its full force is hurtling toward someone pinned down and unable to escape. Not for anyone caught in that nightmare—like citizens of Haiti, who have seen their country devastated by four hurricanes; like residents of New Orleans and the US Gulf Coast who held their breaths as Gustav approached, and those who recently braced for Hurricane Ike in Cuba and Texas. For those people and others, such a question must sound almost obscene.

But, could there ever be an upside? It's hard to step back and consider the big picture when headlines actively forecast tragedy. But try for a moment to consider this: What if, in contrast to the wreckage and devastation, something positive, even necessary, was also occurring?

Hurricanes, also known as tropical cyclones, develop over large bodies of warm water. They dissipate as they move over land. As they spin themselves out, their torrential downpours may cause massive flooding. On the other hand, those downpours may also alleviate drought. As they build, hurricanes draw away energy and heat from tropical regions. Their movement shifts the warmth and energy to more temperate latitudes. In other words, they help the atmosphere circulate. Because of them, the tropic zones don't get too hot. The temperate zones don't stay too cool. A relatively steady temperature around the planet gets preserved.

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