CHARLOTTE, N.C. ' Climate change likely made Hurricane Sandy much worse than it otherwise would have been, scientists said here yesterday at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America.
For one thing, rising sea levels set the stage for a more damaging storm surge, as Hurricane Sandy broke records with a 13.2-foot (4 meters) storm surge in New York City's Battery Park, said Pennsylvania State University climatologist Michael Mann.
"At least 1 foot of those 13.2 feet was arguably due to sea-level rise," he said. That's because sea levels are 1 foot (30 centimeters) higher than they were a century ago, he continued.
Sea surface temperatures off the East Coast also contributed to the flooding. Giving rise to above-average levels of water vapor, they helped intensify the storm and produce more rain, he said.
Warmer-than-usual temperatures over Greenland also played a role, said George Stone, a researcher at Milwaukee Area Technical College.
A high-pressure system over the huge island helped to "block" the North Atlantic, pushing the hurricane toward the East Coast, according to researchers. Typically, scientists say, the jet stream instead carries hurricanes eastward into the Atlantic Ocean.
Temperatures in the Arctic have increased dramatically in recent years, scientists say. This summer, a record-breaking, Arctic sea-ice melt stretched across a larger area than any previously measured. Greenland also set records in August with massive melting of its glaciers.
"If [Sandy's] left turn was indeed due to re-distribution of air masses and position of the jet stream, and that in turn was due to Arctic warming, then we might attribute a large part of Sandy to climate change," Stone said.
Of course, climate change did not create Hurricane Sandy, Mann said. Hurricanes and tropical storms would occur with or without global warming. But many climate models suggest that such storms will become more intense as the planet warms, he said.
Researchers at a special session on Sandy added that the effects of Hurricane Sandy may be felt for quite some time. Several researchers mentioned that the geography of New York made it more susceptible to storm surges. The long and narrow shape of the Long Island Sound, for example, helped to channel the storm surge and make it bigger. Additionally, areas like Battery Park were built from landfill and thus are low-lying and flat. [On the Ground: Hurricane Sandy in Images]
Kim Johnson looks over the destruction near her seaside apartment in Atlantic City, N.J., Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. Sandy, the storm that made landfall Monday, caused multiple fatalities, halted mass transit and cut power to more than 6 million homes and businesses. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
A videographer shoots a house in Toronto on Tuesday Oct. 30, 2012 that was crushed by a tree felled in superstorm Sandy. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)
Homes damaged by a fire at Breezy Point are shown, in the New York City borough of Queens Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in New York. The fire destroyed between 80 and 100 houses Monday night in the flooded neighborhood. More than 190 firefighters have contained the six-alarm blaze fire, but they are still putting out some pockets of fire. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Utility crews work on damaged power lines in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy in Berlin, Md. on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
A vehicle travels a freshly plowed road Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, after superstorm Sandy moved through Elkins, W.Va. Sandy buried parts of West Virginia under more than a foot of snow on Tuesday, cutting power to at least 243,000 customers and closing dozens of roads. At least one death was reported. (AP Photo/Vicki Smith)
A fire truck passes a tree that has fallen across parked cars in the Brooklyn borough of New York the morning after superstorm Sandy struck, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. A record storm surge that was higher than predicted along with high winds damaged the electrical system and plunged millions of people into darkness. Utilities say it could be up to a week before power is fully restored. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
Halloween decorations are seen during a snowstorm, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in Elkins, W.Va. Superstorm Sandy buried parts of West Virginia under more than a foot of snow on Tuesday, cutting power to at least 243,000 customers and closing dozens of roads. At least one death was reported. (AP Photo/Vicki Smith)
With the Capitol in the background, a jogger passes a fallen large oak tree on the National Mall near the Smithsonian in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 30, that was felled as Hurricane Sandy passed through Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
People wrap their bags while displays announcing departure times and advice about U.S. weather conditions are seen, at Madrid Barajas T4 international airport in Madrid, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. Spain's National Airport Authority said a total of 19 flights between Madrid and Barcelona and the U.S. east coast were canceled Tuesday, adding to the 13 canceled on Monday. Portugal's state-owned Lusa news agency said TAP Portugal airline canceled its daily Lisbon-Newark flight both days while United Airlines also canceled its daily flight to Portugal. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)
Snow covers the streets Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, after superstorm Sandy moved through Elkins, W.Va. Sandy buried parts of West Virginia under more than a foot of snow on Tuesday, cutting power to at least 243,000 customers and closing dozens of roads. At least one death was reported. (AP Photo/Vicki Smith)
Utility crews work on damaged power lines in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy in Berlin, Md. on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Crews work to clean up downed power lines in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012 in Milton, N.H. Thousands of New Hampshire residents and businesses were without power. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
Nick Macero Jr.
Nick Macero Jr. looks at the damage to his beach front home from superstorm Sandy in Milford, Conn., Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
Using garbage bags to keep her waist dry, Mary Ann Tobias, and Walter Chaney of Moonachie, N.J. walk from their flooded home in the Metropolitan Trailer Park in Moonachie, N.J. Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012 in the wake of superstorm Sandy. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
Kathy Jones
Kathy Jones calls to let her family know she's ok after damage caused by flooding destroyed her home at Breezy Point in the New York City borough of Queens, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in New York. A fire destroyed between 80 and 100 houses Monday night in the flooded neighborhood. More than 190 firefighters have contained the six-alarm blaze fire, but they are still putting out some pockets of fire. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Residents assess damage caused by a fire at Breezy Point, in the New York City borough of Queens Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in New York. The fire destroyed between 80 and 100 houses Monday night in the flooded neighborhood. More than 190 firefighters have contained the six-alarm blaze fire, but they are still putting out some pockets of fire. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Waves driven by superstorm Sandy crash on the beach of Lake Ontario in Toronto on Tuesday morning, Oct. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)
Andrea Grolon walks through waist-deep water in the Metropolitan Trailer Park in Moonachie, N.J. on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. Grolon, a resident of the trailer park, was wading through oil covered water to help others get to rescue vehicles in the wake of superstorm Sandy. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle
Trees lie fallen across parked cars in the Brooklyn borough of New York the morning after superstorm Sandy made landfall, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. A record storm surge that was higher than predicted along with high winds damaged the electrical system and plunged millions of people into darkness. Utilities say it could be up to a week before power is fully restored. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
Officials assess the damage caused by a fire at Breezy Point in the New York City borough of Queens, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in New York. The fire destroyed between 80 and 100 houses Monday night in the flooded neighborhood. More than 190 firefighters have contained the six-alarm blaze fire, but they are still putting out some pockets of fire. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Wreckage lies outsice damaged beach front homes after superstorm Sandy in Milford, Conn., Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
A landscape of destroyed homes is at Breezy Point, in the New York City borough of Queens Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012 in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy. The fire destroyed between 80 and 100 houses Monday night in the flooded neighborhood. More than 190 firefighters have contained the six-alarm blaze fire, but they are still putting out some pockets of fire. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
A boat floats in the driveway of a home in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in Lindenhurst, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)
Firefighters work at the scene of a house fire in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in Lindenhurst, N.Y. According to firefighters at the scene, four homes were destroyed by fire overnight in Lindenhurst, and six in Massapequa. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)
A member of the Moonachie Department of Public Works talks to a resident at the Metropolitan Trailer Park in Moonachie, N.J., Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. The park was flooded in the wake of superstorm Sandy. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
Residents assess damage caused by a fire at Breezy Point, in the New York City borough of Queens Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in New York. The fire destroyed between 80 and 100 houses Monday night in the flooded neighborhood. More than 190 firefighters have contained the six-alarm blaze fire, but they are still putting out some pockets of fire. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
A fallen tree rests beside a parked car on East Broadway in Manhattan's Lower East Side neighborhood, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in New York. New York City awakened Tuesday to a flooded subway system, shuttered financial markets and hundreds of thousands of people without power a day after a wall of seawater and high winds slammed into the city, destroying buildings and flooding tunnels. (AP Photo/ John Minchillo)
A pedestrian touches a fallen tree that crushed a parked car on East 7th Street in Manhattan's Lower East Side neighborhood, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in New York. New York City awakened Tuesday to a flooded subway system, shuttered financial markets and hundreds of thousands of people without power a day after a wall of seawater and high winds slammed into the city, destroying buildings and flooding tunnels. (AP Photo/ John Minchillo)
Lumber rests on a street below the Manhattan Bridge after being washed inland by flood waters superstorm Sandy, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in New York. New York City awakened Tuesday to a flooded subway system, shuttered financial markets and hundreds of thousands of people without power a day after a wall of seawater and high winds slammed into the city, destroying buildings and flooding tunnels. (AP Photo/ John Minchillo)
A tree leans against a house Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in the Bay Ridge neighborhood in the Brooklyn borough of New York, while another tree lies on a taxi with a shattered rear window in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy. New York City awakened Tuesday to a flooded subway system, shuttered financial markets and hundreds of thousands of people without power a day after a wall of seawater and high winds slammed into the city, destroying buildings and flooding tunnels. (AP Photo/David Boe)
A man takes photos of a tree leaning against a house Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in Bay Ridge of the Brooklyn borough of New York in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy. New York City awakened Tuesday to a flooded subway system, shuttered financial markets and hundreds of thousands of people without power a day after a wall of seawater and high winds slammed into the city, destroying buildings and flooding tunnels. (AP Photo/David Boe)
Andrea Grolon walks through waist-deep water in the Metropolitan Trailer Park in Moonachie, N.J. on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. Grolon, a resident of the trailer park, was wading through oil covered water to help others get to rescue vehicles in the wake of superstorm Sandy. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle
Damage caused by a fire at Breezy Point is shown Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy, in the New York City borough of Queens. The fire destroyed between 80 and 100 houses Monday night in the flooded neighborhood. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
A man photographs a home damaged during a storm at Breezy Point in the New York City borough of Queens Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. The fire destroyed between 80 and 100 houses Monday night in an area flooded by the superstorm that began sweeping through earlier. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Keith Klein, right, and Eileen Blair assess the damage caused by a fire in the New York City borough of Queens, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. The fire destroyed between 80 and 100 houses Monday night in the flooded neighborhood. More than 190 firefighters have contained the six-alarm blaze fire, but they are still putting out some pockets of fire. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Keith Klein walks through homes damaged by a fire at Breezy Point in the New York City borough of Queens. Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. The fire destroyed between 80 and 100 houses Monday night in an area flooded by the superstorm that began sweeping through earlier. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
A rainbow forms over Breezy Point in the New York City borough of Queens, in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in New York. The fire destroyed between 80 and 100 houses Monday night in the flooded neighborhood. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
A woman is lifted into a National Guard vehicle after leaving her flooded home at the Metropolitan Trailer Park in Moonachie, N.J. Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, after supsterstorm Sandy. Sandy, which was downgraded from hurricane just before making landfall, caused multiple fatalities, halted mass transit and cut power to more than 6 million homes and businesses. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
CORRECTS NAME OF FLOODED AREA TO BATTERY PARK UNDERPASS, INSTEAD OF BROOKLYN BATTERY TUNNEL - Water reaches street level at the West Street entrance to the Battery Park Underpass, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in New York. Sandy, the storm that made landfall Monday, caused multiple fatalities, halted mass transit and cut power to more than 6 million homes and businesses. (AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano)
A keep off the dunes sign is buried Tuesday morning, Oct. 29, 2012, in Cape May, N.J., after a storm surge from superstormSandy pushed the Atlantic Ocean over the beach and into the streets. The storm that made landfall in New Jersey on Monday evening with 80 mph sustained winds killed at least 16 people in seven states, cut power to more than 7.4 million homes and businesses from the Carolinas to Ohio, caused scares at two nuclear power plants and stopped the presidential campaign cold. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
Jorge, 30, left, and Yaw, 28, wait in front of a closed United Airlines check in area after their flights toNew York were canceled at the international airport in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. Spain's National Airport Authority said a total of 19 flights between Madrid and Barcelona and the U.S. east coast were canceled Tuesday, adding to the 13 canceled on Monday. Portugal's state-owned Lusa news agency said TAP Portugal airline canceled its daily Lisbon-Newark flight both days while United Airlines also canceled its daily flight to Portugal. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Water reaches the street level of the flooded Battery Park Underpass, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in New York. New York City awakened Tuesday to a flooded subway system, shuttered financial markets and hundreds of thousands of people without power a day after a wall of seawater and high winds slammed into the city, destroying buildings and flooding tunnels. (AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano)
The streets surrounding the New York Stock Exchange, left, are deserted as financial markets remain closed for the second day,Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. Sandy, the storm that made landfall Monday, caused multiple fatalities, halted mass transit and cut power to more than 6 million homes and businesses. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
The streets surrounding the New York Stock Exchange are deserted as financial markets remain closed for the second day due to superstorm Sandy, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. Sandy, the storm that made landfall Monday, caused multiple fatalities, halted mass transit and cut power to more than 6 million homes and businesses. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
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