Global Warming

Arctic rainfall could dominate snowfall earlier than expected

Rainfall could start replacing snowfall in the Arctic decades sooner than previously thought, a study found on Tuesday, warning the change caused by global warming could have effects beyond the region.

The Arctic is warming much faster than the rest of the planet, melting sea ice and adding moisture to the air that is likely to increase precipitation.

Comparing the latest projections to previous climate models, the study published in the scientific journal Nature Communications estimates the switch from snowfall-dominated annual precipitation to one dominated by rain will come about “one or two decades earlier” transitioning around 2070.

But everything depends on the degree of global warming.

At the current rate of warming rain could dominate snow in the Arctic before the end of the century, the study says.

But it says limiting warming to 1.5C – the most ambitious goal in the 2015 Paris climate agreement – could mean the Arctic stays dominated by snow.

Major ocean current is accelerating alongside global warming

A new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change has found that the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), the only ocean current that circumnavigates the entire planet, is flowing faster due to climate change. By using satellite measurements of sea-surface height, and data collected by Argo, a global network of ocean floats, an international team of researchers managed to detect a previously hidden trend in Southern Ocean upper layer velocity.

The ACC surrounds Antarctica and separates cold water in the south from warmer subtropical water in the north. Recently, this warm part of the Southern Ocean is getting even warmer due to human activities, such as the release of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Since this ocean warming pattern can influence the climate all over the globe, it is highly important to understand its dynamics.

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