After Katrina, the link between global warming and a perceived increase in severe weather became a critical debate topic in the science and policy arenas. Prof. Kerry Emanuel (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), in his 2007 AMS Haurwitz Memorial Lecture, examines this question.  While sea surface temperature plays a role in tropical storm intensity, it represents only part of the complex puzzle. He also details an emerging theory that suggests hurricanes and typhoons may play a major, and heretofore, unexpected role in climate dynamics. From the Series:The American Meteorological Society Journal