# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Bangladesh: Climate change creates a new migration crisis.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How the Suez Canal changed the world - Lucia Carminati

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Building the world's largest (and most controversial) power plant - Alex Gendler

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Driven out by drought: Farmland turns barren in Somalia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Hurricane Helene caused ‘post-apocalyptic scene’ in North Carolina

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Aimée Craft: What is the meaning of water to indigenous communities in Manitoba?

# data[].attributes.body
Water is one of our most important spiritual medicines. The morning dew from the sword fern, the rain, and even the water we drink every day can purify and cleanse us. Water is precious and you have to ask for it’s healing. -Kimberly Miller, Skokomish Tribe

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Water Changes Everything | charity: water

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Unsafe water, hygiene and sanitation kills 1000 children under 5 every day | UNICEF

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why was the Nile important in Ancient Egypt?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Access to clean drinking water is a fundamental human right. But just why is it so important? To learn all about water and how it affects the human body, watch this playlist of original animated videos, curated just for you. Behold, 5 TED-Ed Lessons about water:

Water is refreshing, hydrating, and invaluable to your survival. But clean water remains a precious and often scarce commodity - there are nearly 800 million people who still don't have regular access to it. Why is that? And how can you tell whether the water you have access to - whether from a tap or otherwise - is drinkable? Mia Nacamulli examines water contamination and treatment. Watch this TED-Ed Lesson below.

Water is essentially everywhere in our world, and the average human is composed of between 55 and 60% water. So what role does water play in our bodies, and how much do we actually need to drink to stay healthy? Mia Nacamulli details the health benefits of hydration. Watch this TED-Ed Lesson below.

Fresh water accounts for only 2.5% of Earth's water, yet it is vital for human civilization. What are our sources of fresh water? In the first of a two part series on fresh water, Christiana Z. Peppard breaks the numbers down and discusses who is using it and to what ends. Watch this TED-Ed Lesson below.

Fresh water is essential for life - and there's not nearly enough of it for the world right now. Why is that, and what could we do? Christiana Z. Peppard lays out the big questions of our global water problem. And no, shorter showers are not the answer. Watch this TED-Ed Lesson below.

Water covers over 70% of the Earth, cycling from the oceans and rivers to the clouds and back again. It even makes up about 60% of our bodies. But in the rest of the solar system, liquid water is almost impossible to find. So how did our planet end up with so much of this substance? And where did it come from? Zachary Metz outlines the ancient origins of water on Earth. Watch this TED-Ed Lesson below.

To learn about the ancient ingenuity of water harvesting in India, watch this TED Talk.
Art credit: TED-Ed To get brand new TED-Ed Lessons delivered to your inbox each week, sign up for the free TED-Ed Newsletter here >>

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Access to clean drinking water is a fundamental human right. But just why is it so important? To learn all about water and how it affects the human body, watch this playlist of original animated vi...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
By Mark Poynting Climate and environment researcher, BBC News

The Atlantic has been hit by three major hurricanes in 2023 - Franklin, Idalia and Lee.

In August, the US science body NOAA forecasted an "above normal" Atlantic hurricane season, which runs until the end of November.

What are hurricanes?

Hurricanes are powerful storms which develop in warm tropical ocean waters.

In other parts of the world, they are known as cyclones or typhoons. Together, these storms are referred to as "tropical cyclones".

Tropical cyclones are characterised by very high wind speeds, heavy rainfall, and storm surges - short-term rises to sea-levels. This often causes widespread damage and flooding.

Hurricanes can be categorised by their peak sustained wind speed.

Major hurricanes are rated category three and above, meaning they reach at least 111mph (178km/h).

How do hurricanes form?

Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones begin as atmospheric disturbances - for example a tropical wave, an area of low pressure where thunderstorms and clouds develop.

As warm, moist air rises from the ocean surface, winds in the storm cloud begin to spin. The process is linked to how the Earth's rotation affects winds in tropical regions just away from the equator.

For a hurricane to develop and keep spinning, the sea surface generally needs to be at least 27C to provide enough energy, and the winds need to not vary much with height.

If all these factors come together, an intense hurricane can form, although the exact causes of individual storms are complex.

Have hurricanes been getting worse?

Globally, the frequency of tropical cyclones has not increased, and in fact the number may have fallen - although long-term data is limited in some regions.

But it is "likely" that a higher proportion of tropical cyclones across the globe are reaching category three, meaning they reach the highest wind speeds, according to the UN's climate body, the IPCC.

It quotes "medium confidence" that there has been an increase in the average and peak rainfall rates associated with tropical cyclones.

In some places, the average location where tropical cyclones reach their peak intensity has shifted poleward - for example the western North Pacific. This can expose new communities to these hazards.

There also appears to have been a slowdown in the speed at which hurricanes move across the Earth's surface. This typically brings more rainfall for a given location. For example, in 2017 Hurricane Harvey "stalled" over Houston, releasing 100cm of rain in three days.

And there is some evidence the increased intensity of US hurricanes means they are causing more damage.

Watch: Are hurricanes in the US getting worse?

Is climate change affecting hurricanes?

Assessing the precise influence of climate change on individual tropical cyclones is challenging. The storms are relatively localised and short-lived, and can vary significantly in any case.

But rising temperatures do affect these storms in several measurable ways.

Firstly, warmer ocean waters mean storms can pick up more energy, leading to higher wind speeds.

The forecast for the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season was upgraded to " above normal" in August, partly because of record high Atlantic sea surface temperatures.

Temperatures are higher partly as a result of long-term warming from greenhouse gas emissions, and a recent reduction of small particles in the atmosphere called aerosols.

Secondly, a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, leading to more intense rainfall.

Climate change made the extreme rainfall from Hurricane Harvey in 2017 around three times more likely, according to one estimate.

Harvey's extreme rainfall - which has been linked to climate change - caused catastrophic flooding in parts of Texas

Finally, sea-levels are rising, mainly due to a combination of melting glaciers and ice sheets, and the fact that warmer water takes up more space. Local factors also play a part. This means storm surges happen on top of already elevated sea levels, worsening coastal flooding.

For example, it is estimated that flood heights from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 - one of America's deadliest storms - were 15-60% higher than they would have been in the climate conditions of 1900.

Overall, the IPCC concludes that there is "high confidence" that humans have contributed to increases in precipitation associated with tropical cyclones, and "medium confidence" that humans have contributed to the higher probability of a tropical cyclone being more intense.

Melting glaciers are causing sea levels to rise, which tends to amplify coastal flooding from hurricanes

How might hurricanes change in the future?

The number of tropical cyclones globally is unlikely to increase, according to the IPCC.

But as the world warms, it says it is "very likely" they will have higher rates of rainfall and reach higher top wind speeds. This means a higher proportion would reach the most intense categories, four and five.

The more global temperatures rise, the more extreme these changes will tend to be.

The proportion of tropical cyclones reaching category four and five may increase by around 10% if global temperature rises are limited to 1.5C, increasing to 13% at 2C and 20% at 4C, the IPCC says - although the exact numbers are uncertain.

Graphics by Erwan Rivault, Data & Visual Journalism teams.

Copyright 2023 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.

Beta Terms By using the Beta Site, you agree that such use is at your own risk and you know that the Beta Site may include known or unknown bugs or errors, that we have no obligation to make this Beta Site available with or without charge for any period of time, nor to make it available at all, and that nothing in these Beta Terms or your use of the Beta Site creates any employment relationship between you and us. The Beta Site is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis and we make no warranty to you of any kind, express or implied.

In case of conflict between these Beta Terms and the BBC Terms of Use these Beta Terms shall prevail.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How is climate change affecting hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The number of hurricanes isn't increasing, but they are becoming more intense as the world warms.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Naturaleza Viva - Ocean Sounds For Sleeping

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Gentle Waves on a Small White Rock Beach - Relaxing Ocean Sounds

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Climate Change 101 with Bill Nye | National Geographic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Global Temperature Anomalies from 1880 to 2019