Controversy over linking climate change to frequency of hurricanes

Environment News Service: Twice as many Atlantic hurricanes formed each year from 1995 to 2005, on average, than formed during parallel years a century ago finds a new statistical analysis of hurricanes and tropical storms in the north Atlantic. The researchers conclude that warmer sea surface temperatures and altered wind patterns associated with global climate change are responsible for the increase.

The study, by Greg Holland of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, NCAR, and Peter Webster of Georgia Institute of Technology, is published online today by the Royal Society of London.”

"These numbers are a strong indication that climate change is a major factor in the increasing number of Atlantic hurricanes," says Holland….

But also see Axcess News: “Over the last century the number of tropical storms developing annually in the Atlantic Ocean have doubled and the increase scientists say, corresponds to two specific periods of climate change, though NOAA debunked the findings saying the work is "sloppy science.…”