Influence of Relative Humidity and Clouds on the Global Mean Surface Temperature

Jyrki Kauppinen, Jorma Heinonen and Pekka Malmi

Energy & Environment, 2014, vol. 25, issue 2, 389-399

Abstract: The explanation for climate change is still searching for an experimental proof and the most important question is whether climate change is anthropogenic. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC global warming is mostly man made due to the increasing CO 2 concentration. In this work we study the contributions of humidity and clouds to the surface temperature. We will show that changes of relative humidity or low cloud cover explain the major changes in the global mean temperature. We will present the evidence of this argument using the observed relative humidity between years 1970 and 2011 and the observed low cloud cover between years 1983 and 2008. One percent increase in relative humidity or in low cloud cover decreases the temperature by 0.15 °C and 0.11 °C, respectively. In the time periods mentioned before the contribution of the CO 2 increase was less than 10% to the total temperature change.

Keywords: Climate change; Climate sensitivity; Clouds; Relative humidity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:engenv:v:25:y:2014:i:2:p:389-399

DOI: 10.1260/0958-305X.25.2.389

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