Katrina's strength further sign of warming? Yes. No. Maybe.

The only thing sure in the ongoing debate over global warming is that most every weather phenomena will be seen by some as proof and others as nature as usual. Now there's disagreement over whether or not the devastating Hurricane Katrina was made more powerful because of climate changes caused by man.

"There's a clear signature of global warming in this," says one researcher in the Washington Post. "While it's not the dominant factor, in some things it becomes the straw that breaks the camel's back."

Not so fast, says another. The rise in hurricane numbers and severity is not due to warming..."Instead, the severity of hurricane seasons changes with cycles of temperatures of several decades in the Atlantic Ocean. The recent onslaught "is very much natural,"" says a researcher in the NY Times.

The Category 5 debate rages on... (pssst...I'm no scientist but I think it's naive to say that man has not had some impact on our climate, we just now have to see the extent - which may not fully be seen for many years to come.)

Shrinking La. Coastline Contributes To Flooding [Wash Post, reg. req.]
Storms Vary With Cycles, Experts Say [NY Times, reg. req.]
Brace For More Katrinas, Say Experts [Yahoo!]