Global Warming Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Global Warming, including details on causes, effects, impact, facts, myths, information.

How much more rain will global warming bring?

Wentz FJ, Ricciardulli L, Hilburn K, Mears C

Remote Sensing Systems, 438 First Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95401, USA. frank.wentz@remss.com

Climate models and satellite observations both indicate that the total amount of water in the atmosphere will increase at a rate of 7% per kelvin of surface warming. However, the climate models predict that global precipitation will increase at a much slower rate of 1 to 3% per kelvin. A recent analysis of satellite observations does not support this prediction of a muted response of precipitation to global warming. Rather, the observations suggest that precipitation and total atmospheric water have increased at about the same rate over the past two decades.

Published 13 July 2007 in Science, 317(5835): 233-5.
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