A fellow with the American Meteorological Society says the increase of Atlantic hurricanes has nothing to do with alleged man-made, carbon-driven global warming.

In the wake of Hurricane Gustav, six scientists contacted by The Associated Press have stated that the recent uptick of Category 4 and 5 storms in the Atlantic "shows some effect of global warming." But Joseph D'Aleo of IceCap.us disagrees.

"There is certainly an increase in activities since the mid-1990s in the Atlantic – more storms and stronger storms – but they have nothing at all to do with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere," he contends.

D'Aleo asserts the increase in storms has to do with a phenomenon known as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation. He explains.

"The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation [is] where the Atlantic goes from a mode where waters are predominately warm for about 30 years – 30-to-35 years – and then to predominately cold [waters]," D'Aleo adds. "And whenever the Atlantic is warm, there are more hurricanes, there are stronger hurricanes. And because there are more hurricanes, there are more landfalls in the United States."

According to D'Aleo, the Atlantic entered a warm period in 1995, and prominent hurricane forecasters predicted an increase in storm activities. He also says the Atlantic entered a similar warm period in the late 1920s to the late 1960s.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, such oscillations have been occurring for at least the last millennium, "clearly longer than modern man has been affecting climate."

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