ea Michael Casey in Bangkok, Thailand Associated Press May 8, 2008 It was Asia\'

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ea Michael Casey in Bangkok, Thailand Associated Press May 8, 2008 It was Asia's answer to Hurricane Katrina-though with a reported 100,000 killed, it was many times more deadly. Packing winds upward of 120 miles an hour (193 kilometers an hour), Cydlone Nargis became one of Asia's deadliest storms by hitting land at one of the lowest points in Myanmar (also called Burma) and setting off a storm surge that reached 25 miles (40 kilometers) inland. "When we saw the [storm] track, I said, 'Uh oh, this is not going to be good," said Mark Lander, a meteorology professor at the University of Guam. It would create a big storm surge. It was like Katrina going into New Orleans (See photos of the cyclone damage and watch survivors tell their stories.) Enlarge Photo "Cyclone" is the name given to a hurricane when it oocurs in the northern Indian Ocean or, as is the case with Bengal (see map). Printer Friendly Email to a Friend Nargis, the Bay of basics orn SHARE What's This? hurricanes/cyclones.) Digg Deadly Path pon Forecasters began tracking the cyclone Apri 28 as it first headed toward India. As projected the storm took a sharp turn eastward. But it didn't follow the typical cyclone track, which leads to Bangladesh or Myanmar's Reddit RELATED VIDEO: Cyclone Damage Comes Into Focus (May 6, 2008) mountainous northwest. mountainous northwest Jet Stream Shifts May Spur More Powerful Hurricanes (Apnil 24 2008) Instead, the cyclone swept into the low-lying Irrawaddy River Delta in central Myanmar. The result was the worst disaster ever in the impoverished country Hurricane (Cyclone) Facts It was the first time such an intense storm is known to have hit the delta, said Jeff Masters co-founder and director of meteorology at the San Francisco-based Web site Weather Underground He called it "one of those once-in-every-500-years kind of things." The easterly component of the path is unusual," Masters said. "lt tracked right over the most vulnerable part of the country, where most of the people live.

Explanation / Answer

Global Warming’s Cyclonic affair?

This century’s major concern related to its environment has been – global warming. Such is the hype among the commoners as well as the well-educated folks that it is sometimes misjudged, misinterpreted and wrongly connected to other cataclysmic phenomena. Take, for example, the cyclone Nargis, that wrecked havoc in April ‘08, taking lives of more than 100,000 in Myanmar alone, leaving behind streaks of destruction and familes battered. The onset of these cyclones is succeeded by floods and storms that are comprised of salt water which is even more dangerous. A major reason for such mass-scale destruction was, as per the chief scientist Jeff NcNeely (IUCN), the clearing of the mangrove forests which would have served as the natural defense against such violent storms.

So, whether this is a direct outcome of global warming? Yes and no. No, because it doesn’t address to global warming in the direct sense, as some researchers, like in the American Meteorological Society’s January conference postilate that global warming that leads to warmer temperature would instead reduce the strength of cyclones and hurricanes. On the other hand, some personnels believe that this too is an outcome of global warming and there are more to follow the course.

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