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Shark Team. Jenny Hodbod Jason Owens Aaron Sidder. The Question. Is there a correlation between hurricane strength (intensity) and frequency vs. time?. http://www.katrina-hurricane.biz/images/katrina-hurricane-pic3.jpg. Methods. Analyze the total number of storms per decade
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Shark Team Jenny Hodbod Jason Owens Aaron Sidder
The Question • Is there a correlation between hurricane strength (intensity) and frequency vs. time? http://www.katrina-hurricane.biz/images/katrina-hurricane-pic3.jpg
Methods • Analyze the total number of storms per decade • Analyze the average maximum wind speed per year by decade and the maximum wind speed per decade • Analyze the number of Category 4 & 5 hurricanes per decade
Chi Squared Tests • Fo= observed data hurricane data smoothed into decadal averages • Fe= expected data average for the whole data set • (fo-fe)^2/fe • Sum of the chi squared values • Compare to the critical chi squared values
Biases and Data Limitations • Advances in technology from 1850 (pre-Civil War) to 2006 • Limited time frame, no knowledge of historical storm data beyond 1850 • 2005 was a crazy year that skewed the data
Chi Squared test: Frequency • Null Hypothesis= the total number of events is not increasing per decade • Used the average for the entire data set: fe= 85 events per decade • 16 df: critical chi squared value at 5% is 26.30 • Chi squared total is 53.02 • Reject null hypothesis
Event Category as a % of Total Biggest increases are in TS, 4 &5 Tropical storms increase (y=1.9985x +17.2) Category 1 events show a slight increase (y= 0.3029 +16.55) Category 2 events show a decrease (y = -0.775x +20.65) Category 3 events show a slight increase (y= 0.1191x + 9.425) Category 4 events show an increase (y=0.6162x + 0.575) Category 5 events show an increase (y= 0.3456x-1.125)
Category 4&5 increase TS and Category 1 are increasing 2&3 are decreasing 4&5 are increasing
Category 4&5 increase • Null hypothesis= category 4 & 5 hurricanes are not increasing in frequency • Fe= average number of 4&5 per decade= 8 • Total chi squared value= 56.62 • More than the critical chi squared value (26.30) • Reject the null hypothesis
Chi Squared: Wind Speed • Average the maximum wind speed per year by decade • Average of these 16 speeds =115 mph (fe) • Null hypothesis= no increase in wind speed over time • Sum of the chi squared values= 20.02 • Below the critical chi squared value for 16df (26.30), therefore accept the null hypothesis
Chi Squared: Wind Speed cont • Using the maximum wind speed per decade • Average = 142.5 = fe • Sum of chi squared values= 29.47 • Reject the null hypothesis at the 5% probability level
Conclusion Increase in frequency through time? YES Increase in severity through time? YES Manifestation of anthropogenic Climate change? ???
Manatees and Hurricanes Source: WEST INDIAN MANATEE (Trichechus manatus latirostris): FLORIDA STOCK U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Jacksonville, Florida; September 2000
Average # of storms by decade as compared to Sea Surface Temp.
Average # of storms by decade as compared to Sea Surface Temp. • Two-way chi squared test: • SST anomaly and Average # of storms/yr by decade • Null Hypothesis= no relationship between the two • Total chi squared value = 29.99 • Reject the null hypothesis