Comment on "Changes in tropical cyclone number, duration, and intensity in a warming environment".
Analyses of tropical cyclone records from the western North Pacific reveal that the recent increase in occurrence of intense typhoons reported by Webster et al. (Reports, 16 Sep. 2005, p. 1844) is not a trend. Rather, it is likely a part of the large interdecadal variations in the number of intense typhoons related to similar temporal fluctuations in the atmospheric environment.
Chan
Johnny C L
JC
Laboratory for Atmospheric Research, Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China. Johnny.chan@cityu.edu.hk