Atmospheric Warming and the Amplification of Precipitation Extremes
University of Miami · University of Reading
Abstract
Climate models suggest that extreme precipitation events will become more common in an anthropogenically warmed climate. However, observational limitations have hindered a direct evaluation of model-projected changes in extreme precipitation. We used satellite observations and model simulations to examine the response of tropical precipitation events to naturally driven changes in surface temperature and atmospheric moisture content. These observations reveal a distinct link between rainfall extremes and temperature, with heavy rain events increasing during warm periods and decreasing during cold periods. Furthermore, the observed amplification of rainfall extremes is found to be larger than that predicted by…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 35.58
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 30
Authors
2Topics & keywords
- Precipitation
- Environmental science
- Climatology
- Climate extremes
- Atmospheric sciences
- Climate model
- Climate change
- Global warming
- Climate action