Deadly Luxury Yacht Sinking in Italy Blamed on Waterspout

A popular tourist spot for the rich and the famous is becoming more dangerous thanks to global warming. This danger was brought into the headlines last week after a luxury yacht sunk off of the coast of Sicily, Italy due to a suspected waterspout. Here are what climatologists are warning about in this corner of the world.

Waterspout Likely Cause of Luxury Yacht Sinking

The "Bayesian" yacht suddenly sank last week, killing seven of the 22 people on board. The early investigation indicates that the mega yacht was struck by a waterspout as it sat anchored off of Sicily near the port of Porticello early Monday. The 56-meter yacht sank to the sea floor, located about 165 feet below the surface of the water.

The tragedy is serving as a wakeup call about the dangers of climate change. The Mediterranean has long been lauded for its crystal clear and calm waters that make it a popular summer vacation spot for those lucky enough to own yachts.

However, these waters can still prove to be treacherous with the dangers becoming more common in recent years. The impacts of climate change have created a higher incidence of strong storms whipping across these ocean waters, just as they have become more crowded with vacationers.

According to the Italian Meteorological Society, the darkness at the time of the incident makes it difficult to determine with certainty what caused the yacht to sink. There are no images to help investigators piece together the puzzle.

However, the coast guard initially reported that the Bayesian was hit by a tornado known as a waterspout. A waterspout was reported to officials at the European Severe Weather Database at about the same time as the sinking. Storms roaming Italy that day created at least two dozen confirmed waterspouts, lending more credence to the belief that the yacht was struck by this weather event.

Understanding Waterspouts

A waterspout is a type of tornado that happens over water. These narrow columns of air feed on heat and humidity, making them most common during the summer months. While most waterspouts are weak and short-lived, some can intensify into dangerous spinning masses of air.

Unlike tornadoes over land that have been studied extensively in the past, there is not a good amount of research about waterspouts. This is because waterspouts most frequently happen over open water and are not recorded.

However, a recent study by the University of Barcelona found that waterspouts are most likely to happen during times when ocean water temperatures are exceptionally warm. This is why some climatologists are sounding the alarm bell about the potential correlation between an uptick in waterspouts and global warming.

It is no secret that the world's ocean waters have been trending warmer lately. The water temperatures surrounding Sicily are over 5 degrees warmer than what is normal for this time of the year. Even a difference of a degree or two can make a significant difference in the weather patterns.

Sea surface readings are impacted by a variety of climate factors. For instance, El Niño can cause the temperatures to inch up. But scientists have been learning that human-caused global warming is also responsible for the upward trajectory in these temperatures.