Apr 25, 2008
Human-induced arctic moistening
by
,
Science
- States that: the Arctic and northern subpolar regions are critical for climate change; the ice-albedo feedback amplifies warming in the Arctic; and fluctuations of regional fresh water inflow to the Arctic Ocean modulate the deep ocean circulation and thus exert a strong global influence
- Compares observations to simulations from 22 coupled climate models and finds the influence from anthropogenic greenhouse gases and sulfate aerosols in the space-time pattern of precipitation change over high-latitude land areas north of 55°N during the second half of the 20th century
- Finds that the human-induced Arctic moistening is consistent with observed increases in Arctic river discharge and freshening of Arctic water masses
- This result provides new evidence that human activity has contributed to Arctic hydrological change