Spill increasing surface temp., enhancing hurricane strength

I don't think this would have much effect. In the short term, there will not be enough thermal coupling of an incipient storm to the water temperature to make much difference. In the long term, it might matter more, but only if the ocean/gulf temperature rises quite a bit on account of the oil. I don't know what is reasonably anticipated on that score.

Bur rest unassured that there will be some unreasonable anticipations.

A complex process with probably no simple answer. I believe warm+moist air is a prime energy source for hurricanes. A surface oil layer might increase water surface temperature, but it might also reduce evaporation. Pending any real (or high-end simulation) data, I would hypothesize (guess) that the 2 effects could negate any significant impact on hurricane strength.

Nasty mess either way.

GA, from what I understand, the jury is still out on this. There is speculation that that amount of oil on the surface could even have the potential to kill a hurricane, due to the lack of evaporation.

ever hear of pouring oil on water to help reduce the waves? Well, it does indeed do that. It calms the water greatly. It also reduces evaopration of water and breaks the heat engine that powers the hurricane.

google "oil on troubled waters"

here is one with a video, there are many

http://www.articlealley.com/video_470581_22.html

To some extent I can't help wondering if this kind of question is based on the need to generate more stress. We already know that there is a horrendous spill happening, that containment efforts have failed, and that hurricanes will make the ecological damage worse by (a) further hindering containment and (b) spreading the damage around.

To speculate about a worsening effect of the oil spill on hurricanes is really to go fishing for something else to fuel your stress. If there was any real possibility that this was the case, the media would have seized on it long ago, since they stay in business and get readership by fueling public stress. Since they haven't, worriers should feel pretty secure that there is no 'extra' thing to worry about, other than the spill itself and the el nino impact on hurricane season. It is and will be nasty, pretty sure. Enough already.

Yep, the modern Gladiators.

I disagree, if this leak is looked at through a completely objective lens, it will reveal a lot of previously unknown data, across a multiplicity of disciplines, ecological, geological, safety issues, etc., the list goes on and on, up to and including what effect this amount of surface oil will have on weather patterns, if any.

Of course the present situation will generate new data and advance our understanding of these and other issues. However, there is some data already, and there is expert opinion based on the existing data and established physical theory.

This NOAA link was kindly provided in another discussion on this subject:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/hurricanes_oil_factsheet.pdf

As I understand it, the patchiness of the slick and the very large size of typical hurricane/tropical storm systems means that the slick is not expected to have any significant effect on the formation, strength or duration of the hurricane. Objectively, I expect that the NOAA expectation is right.