Hurricanes - 2009 may produce more fury than Ike and Katrina

UPDATE: We may be hours away from the first hurricane of 2009 - click here to find out more.

The blue line shows the arctic eye melt this year. It virtually equals the previous record. One way to predict hurricane season intensity (and busy-ness) will be by minitoring the extent of ice melt as an indicator for averaging global warming in a given year. In situ buoys are obviously another indication. The 2008 season isn't over yet. There are still two months to go, and right now a low pressure has developed south of Cuba. The question is can we expect ferocious storms to worsen year on year? The answer depends on whether we can anticipate ocean warming to continue - and that certainly appears to be the case.

Read also: Human-induced climate change leading to stronger storms.

clipped from news.yahoo.com The Caribbean and Gulf Coast have seen a spate of devastating hurricanes in recent years that have cost billions of dollars and thousands of lives. As residents recover from the latest hits, they may wonder about the potential for future Ikes and Katrinas. Scientists have predicted that as global warming continues to heat up the ocean, hurricanes could become more frequent, more intense or both, and several scientists think that change is already evident. One recent study suggested that the strongest hurricanes in particular would get a bump from warming waters. Rising sea levels could increase the damage wrought to coastal areas by a hurricane's storm surge. Another recent study suggested that global warming could extend the hurricane season; as the warm water areas in the Atlantic expand, there could be more opportunities for storm formation, particularly early in the season.

Read also: Human-induced climate change leading to stronger storms