Date published: 2005/09/16
The BBC says:
Records for the past 35 years show that hurricanes have got stronger in recent times, according to a global study.
This fits with mounting evidence which suggests the biggest storms around the world - hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones - are intensifying.
Some US scientists say that greenhouse warming may be driving the most severe events, such as Katrina, although more research is needed to be sure.
Their assessment of hurricane activity is published in the journal Science.
The idea that global warming might have an impact makes sense in theory, at least, since tropical storms need warm ocean water to build up strength.
But most scientists believe there is currently insufficient evidence to make such a claim, partly because of the lack of reliable long-term data.
...
The author of the study, Dr Peter Webster, told the BBC News website: "What I think we can say is that the increase in intensity is probably accounted for by the increase in sea surface temperature and I think probably the sea surface temperature increase is a manifestation of global warming."The debate is likely to continue, however, as some scientists argue that the present hurricane surge is part of a 60 to 70-year cycle linked to natural effects.
They believe climate change due to human activity will not significantly affect hurricanes and that damage caused by increased development along coastlines is a bigger factor.
Another useful study (although based only on two 15-year periods) but as usual lots more work needs to be done before any definitive conclusion can be made. Unfortunately politics biases the interpretation (certain people want to believe that global warming is responsible for everything and certain people want to believe the opposite).
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