Episode 7 - TOPIM - Measuring the Strength of Hurricanes in Bermuda

Episode 7 of the Our Shared Ocean podcast heads into the atmosphere above and below the Caribbean via Maynooth & Bermuda to hear about the implications of a changing climate for storm frequency and intensity. Are we getting more storms, are they getting worse and how exactly do we know? This discussion is relevant to islanders and coastal communities all over the world. 

Dr. Samantha Hallam from the Irish Climate Analysis Research Unit (ICARUS), Research Assistant Randy Aird and Professor of Environmental Geography from the University of the West Indies, Donovan Campbell joined me in the studio to discuss their Our Shared Ocean funded project. 

TOPIM is an ocean-coupled dynamical and statistical model for tropical cyclone intensity prediction that already has proof of concept from Bermuda and the team hope that its success in predicating storm intensity has regional implications. The team will co-develop the TOPIM model for the wider Caribbean in partnership with the University of the West Indies and deliver a state-of-the-art model that can feed into weather and climate adaptation.

However, perhaps the biggest threat to the Caribbean is an existing structural marginalisation and the narrowing solution space as temperatures rise.

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The Our Shared Ocean Podcast is a funding initiative by the Government of Ireland through Irish Aid and managed by the Marine Institute.