Published in ERW, 28 Jul 2015
Swirling winds may explain extra scaling of rainfall beyond its Clausius–Clapeyron relationship with temperature
Scientists in the UK have linked atmospheric vortices to more intense rainfall. Their results suggest a cause for intense rainfall beyond that predicted by temperature alone, and could help policymakers who need to plan for flash-flooding in a warming climate.
“This paper provides further evidence of the potential role of temperature increases to produce more intense rainfall in a warming climate, but also that the effect of this temperature–rainfall relationship may be modified by changes in atmospheric circulation,” said Stephen Blenkinsop of Newcastle University, UK. “This scaling is consistent with new, highly detailed climate model simulations, which are better at simulating intense rainfall, and these indicate more intense summer rainfall for the UK in the future as well as increases in winter rainfall intensities. This is building a portfolio of evidence for policymakers who need to assess the need for adaptation to more intense rainfall.” […]
The rest of this article is available here.