"The Coming Global Superstorm," upon which, very obviously, the movie "The Day After Tomorrow" was based. The authors are not scientists, and they make some very far-flung speculation (which they admit to), and they state some things that I know to be inaccurate, as I have a background in paleontology and biology. But the basic premise, that changes in the ocean currents will destabilize the weather and cause monstrous storms, seems entirely plausible. The fact is, while we know global warming is happening, and we know there will be an effect, no one can say for certain what that effect will be. So the "superstorm" theory, leading potentially to a new ice age, is as likely as any other scenario at this point. (I know, it seems contradictory: global warming=new ice age; but if you follow the logic and the progression, it does make sense.) Anyway, I very much recommend the book; you may or may not wish to disregard the "ancient civilization" thread, and you may wish to read it with a grain of salt, but do read it:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743470656/sr=8-2/qid=1140279366/ref=pd_bbs_2/102-0120163-5964946?%5Fencoding=UTF8While there
are natural cycles in weather patterns, there's no doubt in my mind that the recent crop of hurricanes is directly related to human-caused global warming. That's one of several issues I have with this book - the authors seem to be doing their best to absolve humanity of much of the blame for our current situation, the mass extinction that's underway - when there's no question as to what the cause is. The authors are also far more hopeful about science and technology saving the world, than I'm able to give credit for - but remember, this book was written at the end of the Clinton administration, when the prevailing attitude toward the environment in Washington was entirely different. None the less, as I said, it's worth a read.