Abstract
Arising from: Nyberg et al. Nature 447, 698–701 (2007)10.1038/nature05895; Nyberg et al. reply
The anomaly of the recent increase in Atlantic major hurricane activity (MHA) is controversial. From a reconstruction of past MHA, Nyberg et al.1 conclude that the present activity is not unusual by comparison with that of the past 270 years. However, here I estimate the uncertainty of average MHA in the hurricane record2 before 1945 and show that the reconstruction of Nyberg et al.1 differs strongly from that record, and probably overestimates past MHA. Owing to this and further reasons, I question whether their reconstruction provides an accurate basis for conclusions about past MHA.
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References
Nyberg, J. et al. Low Atlantic hurricane activity in the 1970s and 1980s compared to the past 270 years. Nature 447, 698–701 (2007)
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Neu, U. Is recent major hurricane activity normal?. Nature 451, E5 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06576
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06576
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