Weather and climate experts from across the globe descended on Bermuda to give insurance company executives the inside track on everything from hurricanes to bushfires and tornadoes.

The information could prove invaluable for insurance industry giants as they gauge their exposure to all manner of devastation created by wild weather.

It was also an opportunity for the weather specialists to share their knowledge with one another.

Since 1994 the Risk Prediction Initiative (RPI) at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research has been collating the latest findings on weather patterns and particularly destructive weather-related incidents.

For its two-day workshop the organisation was fortunate to have booked hurricane expert Dr. Kerry Emanuel, who was able to add his observations about the causes behind Hurricanes Katrina and Rita which slammed into the US gulf coast with devastating effect in September.

Dr. Rick Murnane, programme manager at RPI, said: ?We got the latest on hurricanes. For the past two seasons there has been more and of a higher intensity. Since it has happened two years in a row, people are wondering if things have started to change and are we entering a new era or has it just been a particularly bad run??

The jury on that is still out, but Dr. Murnane added: ?Everyone wants to know if it?s down to climate change or normal variation. It was a very useful assessment of the diversity of views. It is still open to debate but it?s certainly time to reassess how we are modelling things.?

The two-day workshop covered subjects ranging from climate to drought, heatwaves and cold snaps to wildfires, tornadoes, hailstorms and hurricanes.

?We have been bringing together climate science and the insurance industry together, presenting scientific research so the insurers can assess their risk options,? said Dr. Murnane.

?The workshop was quite US-centric mainly because of events in the past couple of years.?

Amongst the insurers taking part were hosts XL Capital, Renaissance Re, Axis, Aspen, Partner Re, State Farm and RMS.

Dr. Murnane said: ?I think it has been an excellent workshop. Some of the world?s leading experts in different aspects of climate change from Germany, Switzerland, the UK, USA and the Bermuda Weather Service took part.

?We brought together scientists who do not normally get the opportunity to meet up. Someone interested in hurricanes would not normally talk to someone who is interested in wildfires, or hailstorms. So it is a cross-pollination of different fields.?

The workshops wrapped up on Friday.