This would make them whiter so they reflect more sunlight back into space, reducing the sea surface temperature - which is the primary driver of hurricanes.

BBC: Geoengineering: Risks and benefits

But by the Berkeley team's analysis, the global temperature correlates more closely with the state of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) index - a measure of sea surface temperature in the north Atlantic.

BBC: Global warming 'confirmed' by independent study

Kearns and a team of scientists led by Alan Strong of NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service analyzed sea surface temperature data from the agency's polar-orbiting satellites from 1984 through 1996.

CNN: Warmer tropical waters portend climate change

This Ocean forecasting system could generate crucial forecast information, such as ocean circulation, sea surface temperature, wave height, to serve the needs of a variety of human activities related to marine hazards mitigation, oil and gas exploration, fisheries, navigation, marine parks management and coastal recreational activities.

UNESCO: All Events | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

It is a collaborative partnership of more than 30 nations from all continents, all working together to provide a seamless global array of over 3, 000 profiling floats moving up and down in the water column from the sea surface to 2, 000 meters and measuring temperature, salinity, and depth during every ascent to the sea surface.

UNESCO: Building the Wealth of Nations

Although the temperature on Ascension has not changed appreciably in the past 30 years, sea-surface temperatures upwind of it jumped by more than a degree in the 1980s before levelling off.

ECONOMIST: Ascension Island