STORM2K

Could someone please describe fully to me what ACE is? I see it discussed on the forums (maybe it is just me, but it seems this is the first season it has been talked about) but I can't find a post really giving a good synopsis on what it is. Based on the context of the posts I have read I have a pretty good idea, but a thorough explanation would be very beneficial.

Thanks in advance!

Accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) is a measure used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to express the activity of individual tropical cyclones and entire tropical cyclone seasons, particularly the Atlantic hurricane seasons. It uses an approximation of the energy used by a tropical system over its lifetime and is calculated every six-hour period. The ACE of a season is the sum of the ACEs for each storm and takes into account the number, strength, and duration of all the tropical storms in the season.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accumulated_cyclone_energy

Thank you so much Hurakan for the link and for your explanation.