OUT of a fog of meteorological data, an alarming picture of intensifying tropical cyclones and hurricanes is emerging. It can be summed up in two words: more Katrinas.
The likely effects of climate change on the number and intensity of tropical storms has been debated for years. Some argued that warmer sea surface temperatures would mean more and stronger storms; after all, the moisture from evaporating ocean water is the feedstock of cyclones, including hurricanes. Others predicted that climate change would alter heat distribution in the oceans to damp down storms.
Until recently, no one could say for sure which…
