Atlanta ? Rising ocean temperatures have stoked the growing fury of hurricanes, according to a study made public Thursday that intensifies a debate over the link between global warming and the ferocity of storms.

The research revealed that the increase in the most severe storms – category 4 and 5 hurricanes have doubled since 1990 – was directly linked to the rising temperature of tropical oceans, which warmed globally by 1 degree Fahrenheit during the same period.

The Georgia Institute of Technology study, posted online Thursday by the journal Science, comes after several unusually disruptive storm seasons worldwide.