Typhoons in the Pacific Ocean Hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean, and cyclones battering coasts elsewhere. These storms have bedeviled many countries in recent years, a majority of them poor, and global warming seems to be making matters worse. As oceans warm and glaciers melt, sea levels are rising, resulting in higher storm surges, and coastal flooding and subsequent storm wreck havoc along many of the world's coasts. IPS's team of reporters in the south covers these weather extremes and their consequences.