Counterbalancing influences of aerosols and greenhouse gases on atmospheric rivers

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are filamentary conduits of intense water vapour transport in the extratropics, accounting for the majority of poleward moisture transport in the mid-latitudes and acting as a key precipitation source for coastal regions. How ARs have responded to climate change nevertheless remains uncertain. Here we use a series of coupled model experiments to show that there was little to no change in mean AR characteristics in 1920-2005 due to opposite but equal influences from industrial aerosols, which weaken ARs, and greenhouse gases (GHGs), which strengthen them. Despite little historical change, the simulations project steep intensification of ARs in the coming decades, including mean AR-driven precipitation increases of up to similar to 20 mm per month, as the influence of GHGs greatly outpaces that of industrial aerosols. We also investigate the extent to which future AR changes are dynamically and thermodynamically driven, highlighting the need to conceptualize AR change beyond the scaling of humidity with warming.

Automated summary

This study found that there was little to no change in mean characteristics of Atmospheric Rivers (ARs) from 1920-2005 due to opposing influences from industrial aerosols and greenhouse gases. However, simulations project a significant intensification of ARs in the coming decades, with precipitation increases of up to 20 mm per month. The study highlights the need to go beyond scaling humidity with warming to understand the changes in ARs.