Global Warming Accelerates the Water Cycle, with Relevant Climatic Consequences

Researchers at the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC) in Barcelona have found that global warming is accelerating the water cycle, which could have significant consequences on the global climate system, according to an article published recently in the journal Scientific Reports. This acceleration of the water cycle is caused by an increase in the evaporation of water from the seas and oceans resulting from the rise in temperature. As a result, more water is circulating in the atmosphere in its vapor form, 90 percent of which will eventually precipitate back into the sea, while the remaining 10 percent will precipitate over the continent. To carry out the study, researchers analyzed ocean surface salinity data—which is measured by satellites. Unlike subsurface salinity data—obtained with in situ instruments—the satellite data allowed them to detect this acceleration of the water cycle and, for the first time, the effect of stratification over very large regions in the ocean. According to them, this is due to the ability of satellites to measure data continuously, regardless of environmental conditions and the accessibility of different areas of the ocean.