A new study finding hurricanes and cyclones have increased in intensity in the last 25 years has sparked more back-and-forth between those who believe climate change has had measurable effects on storm systems and those skeptical of its impact.

The news that the study—The Increasing Intensity of the Strongest Tropical Cyclones by James Elsner, James Kossin, and Thomas Jagger—was to be published in the September 4 issue of Nature immediately set off a flurry of news reports citing expert opinions on the results, including those of Elsner, MIT’s Kerry Emanuel, and Christopher Landsea of the National Hurricane Center.

The study shows results consistent with the “heat-engine” theory of cyclone intensity, but doesn’t prove it, Elsner stated in a press release from Florida State University, where he teaches geography. The theory credits warming seas for providing the additional wind energy needed for more intense cyclones.

In a September 3 New York Times article, Emanuel, who is known for making a similar connection shortly before Hurricane Katrina in 2005, said the study provided “definitive evidence” stronger hurricanes are becoming more prevalent. The recent study addressed data inconsistencies that troubled Emanuel’s earlier work. Landsea, however, was not convinced.

“The paper has some elegantly calculated statistics, but these are generated on data that are not, in my opinion, reliable for examining how the strongest tropical cyclones have changed around the world,” Landsea told the Times.

See the New York Times article or read the report that started it all.