Elizabeth Harris, vice president of modeling and research at Ariel Re, has contributed significantly to a book on recent tropical cyclones and tropical storms and how they have evolved and become more destructive in recent years.

The book, titled “Progress in Addressing Hurricane Risk in a Changing Climate,” comes from the 2024 Symposium on Hurricane Risk in a Changing Climate held last June in Hawaii. The event showcased contributions from scientists and academics from around the world on the growing threat of natural disasters.

Harris’ contributions to the book include a chapter co-written with Robert Marsh, professor of oceanography and climate at the University of Southampton, Jeremy Grist, senior research scientist at the UK’s National Oceanography Centre, and Dipanjan De, assistant professor in the School of Earth, Ocean and Climate Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar.

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In this chapter, Harris and colleagues conclude that changes in ocean circulation were “the primary cause of increased warm water availability in the North Atlantic for hurricane development in a high-resolution forced climate model.”

“The slowing of the circulation in the North Atlantic Ocean is leading to an accumulation of warm water available for hurricane intensification,” experts said.

Harris expressed her feelings about being able to contribute to an important book on the current state of climate change in the world.

“It is a great honor to contribute to this book, which will be of interest not only to academics but also to policymakers and the insurance industry, all of whom have an interest in how hurricane risk is evolving due to climate change and climate variability,” Harris said.

Ariel Re is an insurance and reinsurance solutions and services company with offices in Bermuda, London and Hong Kong.

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