Rising CO2 might mean wetter storms

BOULDER, Colo., Dec. 17 (UPI) -- A U.S. study suggested that wetter Arctic and Northern Hemisphere storms due to global warming but whether there are more such storms depends on the latitude.

Scientists at the University of Colorado-Boulder's Institute for Research in Environment Sciences said two studies suggest the wetter storms will be caused by rising carbon dioxide levels.

"Global climate model predictions for the 21st century indicate an increase in the frequency of storms in the Arctic with no clear trend in the mid-latitudes but an increase in the amount of precipitation associated with individual storms in both regions," said Assistant Professor John Cassano, lead author of one of the studies.

Cassano said higher precipitation at high latitudes over the next century could influence important climate factors, such as seasonal snow cover, ice sheet growth and freshwater dilution of the Arctic Ocean.

"Already scientists have observed higher river runoff into the Arctic Ocean but the source of this additional runoff was unclear," Cassano said. "These studies provide one piece of the puzzle to understand this observed change."

The studies are to be published Dec. 28 in a special edition of the Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences.