The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has recently completed a study concluding that a warming global ocean could influence the winds that shear off the tops of developing storms. This creates the possibility for fewer Atlantic hurricanes hitting the U.S., which means homeowners' insurers may soon experience fewer hurricane claims than expected.

"We looked at U.S. land-falling hurricanes because it is the most reliable Atlantic hurricane measurement over the long term," said Chunzai Wang in a release, physical oceanographer and climate scientist with the NOAA.

Wang also noted that other factors are involved in Atlantic hurricane activity besides wind shear, such as atmospheric humidity, sea level pressure, and sea surface temperature.

According to the NOAA, observations from 1854 to 2006 show a warming of sea surface temperature occurring almost everywhere over the global ocean, with large warming in tropical regions of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans. The study showed that warmer waters in the tropical Pacific, Indian and North Atlantic oceans produce opposite effects upon vertical wind shear. Overall, warming in the Pacific and Indian oceans is of greater impact and produces increased levels of vertical wind shear, which suppresses Atlantic hurricane activity.

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Study Shows Possibility of Fewer Atlantic Hurricanes

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