Hurricanes are large, rotating storms powered by the heat energy of the ocean and the atmosphere. The strength of a
hurricane is described by a category number from 1 to 5, with category 1 being the weakest and category 5 being the
strongest.
Many scientists hypothesize that global warming is increasing the number of hurricanes. The graphs below show the
number of hurricanes and the change in temperature from 1870 to 2005.
Number of Hurricanes, 1870-2005
Temperature Change (°C)
OC.
Number of Hurricanes
OD.
131975
0 1880
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
1880
1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000
Year
Change in Average Surface
Temperature, 1870-2005
1900
1920
1940
Year
1960
1980
Why do the data support or refute the scientists' hypothesis that global warming is causing an increase in hurricanes
OA. The data refute the hypothesis because there is not a direct match between temperature change and numbe
hurricanes.
2000
OB. The data support the hypothesis because when yearly temperature deviations are below normal the yearly
number of hurricanes decreases.
The data refute the hypothesis because the yearly change in temperature appears to be random when
compared with the number of hurricanes.
The data support the hypothesis because the trend of increasing number of hurricanes matches the trend o
increasing global temperature change.
Navigator?