Weatherwatch: rainclouds are travelling farther in warmer world — SkimNews
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- Travis Aerenson of the University of Wyoming and colleagues modelled US atmospheric moisture movements over more than three decades, finding rain now travels farther from its evaporation source than in prior decades.
- In the southwestern and southern plains, moisture travels 30 to 50 miles (50 to 80km) farther than it did 35 years ago, staying aloft an extra two to four hours before falling as rain.
- Warmer air can hold more water vapour, which is changing both how much precipitation falls and where it falls geographically.
- Published in Geophysical Research Letters, the study found more evaporation now occurs from ocean surfaces and less from land surfaces.
- Researchers warn the trend means water security for more countries and states will fall increasingly outside their borders, requiring greater cross-border collaboration.
Why it matters: Water security is becoming a transnational problem: as rain now forms over oceans and travels 30 to 50 miles farther before falling, states and countries must increasingly negotiate with neighbours over moisture sources that no longer respect political boundaries.
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