Changes in wind patterns play the leading role in influencing often devastating tropical rainfall changes, rather than simply the warming atmosphere holding more moisture, according to new research.
Climate scientists have discovered that land-driven climate processes induced by human activities lead to shifts in wind patterns and strongly influence current tropical rainfall trends.
They warn that this means current climate models used to project future tropical rainfall changes in regions such as Africa, Southeast Asia, India, Central and South America, and Australia may not be accurate.
The research found three main driving forces behind changes in atmospheric circulation that lead to tropical rainfall trends:
• Faster warming of land compared with the ocean
• Ongoing warming and expansion of the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool
• Increased warming and desertification in the Northern Hemisphere
