Ocean Salinities Reveal Strong Global Water Cycle Intensification During 1950 to 2000
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Material Information

Title:
Ocean Salinities Reveal Strong Global Water Cycle Intensification During 1950 to 2000
Series Title:
Science Magazine Volume 336
Creator:
Paul J. Durack
Susan E. Wijffels
Richard J. Matear
Publisher:
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Publication Date:
Language:
English

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
climate change
water cycle
salinity
thermodynamics

Notes

Abstract:
Fundamental thermodynamics and climate models suggest that dry regions will become drier and wet regions will become wetter in response to warming. Efforts to detect this long-term response in sparse surface observations of rainfall and evaporation remain ambiguous. We show that ocean salinity patterns express an identifiable fingerprint of an intensifying water cycle. Our 50-year observed global surface salinity changes, combined with changes from global climate models, present robust evidence of an intensified global water cycle at a rate of 8 T 5% per degree of surface warming. This rate is double the response projected by current-generation climate models and suggests that a substantial (16 to 24%) intensification of the global water cycle will occur in a future 2° to 3° warmer world.

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
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Sea Level Rise