a new study argues.
Kevin Trenberth, distinguished senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, is the lead author on the paper which examines the Colorado floods, as well as Superstorm Sandy and Super Typhoon Haiyan.
The paper rejects efforts to determine if climate change or natural variability are solely responsible for more frequent extreme weather like the 2013 floods. "Both are invariably in play," the paper's abstract says.
Rather, Trenberth's work argues that thermodynamic variables like higher sea surface temperatures can supercharge extreme weather systems.
"Even if just a third or a half of the increased sea surface temperature is attributable to human-caused warming, then the storm surge and associated damage was considerably influenced by climate change," Trenberth said in a press release quoted by the Boulder Daily Camera.
