Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Buried in Belize’s Great Blue Hole, a 98-ft sediment core reveals 5,700 years of storm history. Researchers from Goethe University found 694 cyclone layers, marking violent past events.
Lead geoscientist Dominik Schmitt uncovered a sharp uptick in storm frequency, linking it to the southward shift of the ITCZ, a crucial band influencing Atlantic hurricane formation.
Researchers traced recent intensification to rising sea temperatures. The warming oceans, spurred by manmade climate change, are now fueling stronger and more frequent storms.
The last two decades have seen a shocking rise in cyclone layers, far surpassing millennial norms. This trend, noted in Geology journal, is unlike anything in the past 5,700 years.
If the current pattern holds, the Caribbean could see 45 storms per century—nearly double the historic rate, warns biosedimentologist Eberhard Gischler of Goethe University.
Oxygen-free, undisturbed waters preserved the sediment's fine structure. Each thick grain layer marks a past cyclone, painting a time-lapse of violence beneath the sea's calm.
Published March 2025, the study makes a clear case: the storm surge isn’t just natural variation—it’s being accelerated by industrial-era emissions and atmospheric disruption.
With storms likely to intensify, millions in the region face growing threats. Infrastructure, homes, and livelihoods are at stake, making adaptation and planning urgent.
This marine sinkhole has become a time capsule. The layers are silent, but their story is loud—one of a planet heating fast and a storm belt shifting into higher gear.