Roger Coppock wrote:
"Epsilon formed and persisted in fairly cold waters (around 24C),
for a tropical cyclone.

It may well be that shear has been more significant than temperatures
in this extraordinary year." --- Paradigm

I have tried, with my 8-year old Power PC and a single column
atmosphere model, to explore just this relationship. (Great
minds seek parallel roads . . .) The model may indicate that
increased greenhouse forcing leads to increased vertical air
movement, which competes with the shear winds, and reduces
them. I wish I had more floating-point and graphics display
'horsepower.' Anyone got a spare NEC World Simulator?


Just for fun,

You can look at individual years:

Check out this year:

http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SS...84.anomaly.gif
http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SS...84.anomaly.gif
http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SS...84.anomaly.gif
http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SS...84.anomaly.gif
http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SS...84.anomaly.gif

Colder than normal temps in the formation regions.
Fewer Tropical Storms?
No, about average year:

http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/...984/index.html

Check out this year (yes, it was El Nino, but makes the point):

http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SS...97.anomaly.gif
http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SS...97.anomaly.gif
http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SS...97.anomaly.gif
http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SS...97.anomaly.gif
http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SS...97.anomaly.gif
http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SS...97.anomaly.gif
http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SS...98.anomaly.gif
http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SS...98.anomaly.gif

Warmer than normal temps in the formation regions.
More Tropical Storms?
No, far fewer:

http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/...997/index.html