Ocean Salinities Reveal Strong Global Water Cycle Intensification During 1950 to 2000
Edited: 2012-08-07
| Title | Ocean Salinities Reveal Strong Global Water Cycle Intensification During 1950 to 2000 |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2012 |
| Authors | Durack, P., S. Wijffels, and R. Matear |
| Journal | Science |
| Volume | 336 |
| Issue | 6080 |
| Pagination | 455 - 458 |
| Date Published | 04/2012 |
| ISSN | 1095-9203 |
| Keywords | climate, steric |
| 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 ± 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. |
| DOI | 10.1126/science.1212222 |
| Short Title | Science |