Attribution of observed surface humidity changes to human influence

Katharine M. Willett, Nathan P. Gillett (), Philip D. Jones and Peter W. Thorne
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Katharine M. Willett: Climatic Research Unit, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia
Nathan P. Gillett: Climatic Research Unit, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia
Philip D. Jones: Climatic Research Unit, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia
Peter W. Thorne: Met Office Hadley Centre, FitzRoy Road, Exeter EX1 3PB, UK

Nature, 2007, vol. 449, issue 7163, 710-712

Abstract: Getting steamed up Atmospheric humidity has a big influence on the distribution and maximum intensity of precipitation, the potential intensity of tropical cyclones, surface hydrology and human heat stress. Significant increases in specific humidity — the ratio of water vapour to air in a given volume of air — have been observed at the Earth's surface, but it was not clear whether these changes are due to natural or human influences. Now, using a new data set of surface specific humidity observations, along with output from a coupled climate model, Willett et al. identify a significant increase in global mean surface specific humidity during the late twentieth century that is mainly attributable to human influence.

Date: 2007
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DOI: 10.1038/nature06207

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