We may see less of catastrophes like Hurricane Katrina if new research is any indication of the impact global warming is having on weather conditions.

A study published in the Geophysical Research Letters refutes prior research that claimed global warming was contributing to Atlantic hurricanes, which have seen an increase in intensity and frequency in recent years. The previous research was based on the concept that hurricanes are formed from warm water, which seemed to support the theory that global warming was responsible for the devastating storms. However, contradicting research has indicated warmer water may actually help break up the damaging nascent cyclones. The recent findings of oceanographer Chunzai Wang and scientist Sang-Ki Lee actually show a small decline in the number of hurricanes making landfall in the U.S., despite the warming of ocean water.

"The attribution of the recent increase in Atlantic hurricane activity to global warming is premature. ... Global warming may decrease the likelihood of hurricanes making landfall in the United States," the researchers wrote.

"We believe U.S. landings for hurricanes are most reliable measurements over the long term," Wang said.

While normally you could try to see this this as a very small silver lining in the big global warming cloud, I can't help but think of extreme weather conditions like the fictional ones shown in the 2004 film The Day After Tomorrow. You kind of have to wonder what the trade-off is and what worse disasters that make Katrina look like a minor incident may be lurking around the corner.

» Reuters