Claim: global warming decreases hurricanes

MIAMI, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Two Florida experts made controversial claims that global warming reduces hurricanes in the United States, it was reported Wednesday.

The study claims oceans heated by global warming have more forceful crosswinds, which hold back hurricanes, The Miami Herald reported.

''We found a gentle decrease in the trend of U.S. landfalling hurricanes as global oceans warmed up,'' oceanographer Chunzai Wang said.

Wang's findings conflict with earlier and commonly accepted studies, which claim the exact opposite -- that warmer oceans prompt more hurricanes.

''This study is one more piece of evidence countering the exaggerated claims by a small group of scientists that warming trends in tropical oceans have been contributing to major increases in hurricane activity,'' expert Stanley Goldenberg said.

The new study is being published in the Geophysical Research Letters.