As global ocean and atmospheric temperatures rise, hurricane frequency and intensity is likely to increase. Stanley Gedzelman and Edward Hindman, both Professors of Earth and Environmental Sciences at The Graduate Center and City College, with Jim Lawrence of the University of Houston, and members of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's Hurricane Research Division are studying the water budget of hurricanes in order to better understand the intensity and energetics of these storms. To gain firsthand information, Dr. Gedzelman flies through hurricanes collecting samples of their rain and water vapor. Variations of the stable isotopes, Oxygen-18 and Deuterium in the water provide information about how much of the water originates within the confines of the hurricane when the furious winds rip copious amounts of sea spray off the tops of the waves. The group found that stable isotopes are surprisingly active tracers of many atmospheric settings, and a good understanding of their variations in different storm situations is needed to interpret past climates accurately.