Green Daily

Oceanic researchers have been studying data from offshore buoys since the 70's, monitoring wave conditions and trying to track any changes that we might need to know about back on the mainland. In a recent study published in the Journal of Coastal Research, scientists put together the information from three buoys off the US Atlantic coast. They expected to see larger waves and more ominous signs of Armageddon and chaos -- as usual -- but what they found was actually more of a good news/bad news scenario, with slightly more emphasis on the bad news.

The good news is that since the National Data Buoy Center has been taking measurements, the average wave heights during most of the year remains pretty much the same. The bad news is that during the hurricane season, waves are measuring more powerful and frequent that those that have come before. Waves on extreme end of the spectrum went from 23ft. in previous years up to 33ft. in the decade from 1996-2005 -- kind of foreboding information if you have a beach home on the Eastern seaboard.

So, what's the deal? Basically, hurricane intensity was on the rise for the period that was studied, culminating with 2005's horrendous hurricane season. Certainly, climate change is among the usual suspects for causing the jump in hurricane activity, but other explanations are being offer up as well, including rising surface temperatures created by the El Niño phenomenon.