A new study has shown that the earth’s water cycle is speeding up due to climate change, potentially resulting in more intense rainstorms and faster melting of the ice caps.
The study which was undertaken by researchers at the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC) in Barcelona, found that as global temperatures increase, there will be an increase in the evaporation of water from the seas and oceans.
According to the findings of the study, this will make the top layer of the sea saltier and add water to the atmosphere in the form of vapor which will, in turn, increase rainfall in other parts of the world, diluting some bodies of water to make them even less salty.
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The study also found that the acceleration of the water cycle could have profound impact on modern society, driving drought and water shortages as well as more intense storms and flooding.
In his reaction, Estrella Olmedo, the leading author of the study said that the acceleration of the water cycle has implications both at the ocean and on the continent, where storms could become increasingly intense.
“This higher amount of water circulating in the atmosphere could also explain the increase in rainfall that is being detected in some polar areas, where the fact that it is raining instead of snowing is speeding up the melting” he was quoted as saying.
To carry out the study, the researchers analysed ocean surface salinity data – which is measured by satellites in which they found that Ocean salinity is essential for understanding ocean circulation, one of the key factors in understanding global climate.
According to them, this circulation depends on the water density, which is determined by its temperature and salinity.
“Therefore, changes in these two parameters, however small they may be, can end up having important consequences on the global climate, which makes it key to monitor them closely,” they said.
Story was adapted from Mail Online.
