Tropical cyclones rank with earthquakes as the major geophysical causes of loss of life and
property1. It is therefore of practical as well as scientific interest to estimate the changes in
tropical cyclone frequency and intensity that might result from short-term man-induced
alterations of the climate2. In this spirit we use a simple Carnot cycle model to estimate the
maximum intensity of tropical cyclones under the somewhat warmer conditions expected to
result from increased atmospheric CO2 content. Estimates based on August mean …

Tropical cyclones rank with earthquakes as the major geophysical causes of loss of life and
property. It is therefore of practical as well as scientific interest to estimate the changes in
tropical cyclone frequency and intensity that might result from short term human‐induced
alterations of the climate. In this spirit a simple Carnot cycle model is used to estimate the
maximum intensity of tropical cyclones under the somewhat warmer conditions expected to
result from increased atmospheric CO2 content. Estimates based on August mean …