While concerns mount regarding Hurricane Gustav and its windy followers, reports in the scientific journal, Nature, noted in early September that future tropical storms will only get stronger as the oceans warm.
Quickly picked up by many news outlets, this story is attracting a lot of attention not only for its intriguing claims but also because it is part of an increasingly controversial topic - global warming.
A team of researchers, led by Professor James Elsner of Florida State University, studied satellite data from 1981 to 2006.
They found that while the sea surface temperature rose during the period, the wind speeds of the strongest storms were higher. The increase in stronger storms was greatest in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
As the oceans continue to warm, an increase in stronger storms such as Category Four and Category Five hurricanes will occur. According to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, which can be found on the National Hurricane Center's website, Category Four and Category Five hurricanes can have winds reaching over 131 mph.
Environmental Defense, a nonprofit organization dedicated to finding solutions for "society's most urgent environmental problems," states that oceans have been heating up since 1975.
Climate and ocean experts believe the cause is rooted in "human-produced global warming." The warming of the oceans is a significant problem as oceans cover 70 percent of the globe and store 1,000 times more heat than the atmosphere, according to an article on Environmental Defense's website.
Many experts point to climate conditions, such as wind shear, that can help weaken storms. According to an article by The New York Times, wind shear are "winds blowing at different speeds and different directions at different altitudes."
Elsner, however, believes that very strong storms will be able to overcome wind shear and continue on to their full potential strength.
The New York Times reports some experts in the field remain skeptical of the findings, believing that the data was not always consistent when some years in the period had a more active hurricane season than others.
However, many believe these new findings provide the perfect stimulus for some countries to enhance their various procedures for the hurricane season.
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