" The trade winds are also responsible for transporting water vapor, causing rain in Indonesia. The net effect of the trade winds is positive. However, the trade winds can have some very negative impacts, as well. In the summer, trade winds can turn into the hurricanes or typhoons, which can take a devastating toll on property and life. In fact, the trade winds are responsible for causing typhoons, which are both beneficial and detrimental; they bring much-needed rain, but are also responsible for destruction. It is predicted that global warming will have a negative impact on the trade winds:

To remain energetically balanced, the rate at which the atmosphere absorbs water vapor must be balanced by the rate of rainfall. But as temperatures rise and more water evaporates from the ocean, water vapor in the lower atmosphere increases rapidly. Because of various physical processes, however, the rate of rainfall does not increase as fast. Since the atmosphere is absorbing moisture faster than it can dump...

A drop in winds could reduce the strengh of both surface and subsurface ocean currents and dampen cold water upwelling at the equator.
The result would be a major negative impact on the trade winds' positive influence on marine ecosystems. Furthermore, this effect is expected to increase the severity and intensity of storms like hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons. In addition, global warming driven changes in the trade winds could possibly precipitate more dramatic El Nino and La Nina cycles, which can set off boughts of floods and droughts, which can lead to property damage, death, and destruction.

Works Cited

Rosenberg, Matt. "Trade Winds, Horse Latitudes, and the Doldrums. About.com: Geography.

2008. About.com. 15 Feb. 2008 http://geography.about.com/od/physicalgeography/a/tradewinds.htm.

Than, Ker. "Global Warming Weakens Trade Winds." Live Science. 2006. Imaginova Corp.

14 Feb. 2008 http://www.livescience.com/environment/060503_walker_circ.html.