EARTH: Arctic humidity on the rise

Alexandria, VA – The Arctic is getting warmer and wetter. As temperatures rise and sea ice melts, scientists suspect that system feedback cycles may further speed up the warming process. Now, a new study out of the University of Colorado at Boulder is showing how shifting patterns of humidity may bring about changes in the Arctic atmosphere.

The new study compiled data from the 1950s through the present to examine the subtle changes in the Arctic atmosphere over time. The team then incorporated the data into six new weather models. How will these models affect our perceptions of the changing Arctic? Read the whole story online at http://www.earthmagazine.org/article/arctic-humidity-rise.

Read this story and more in the October issue of EARTH Magazine. Join a young geologist out in the new American boomtown; travel back in time through Colorado Springs; and get pumped for renewable energy, all in this month's issue of EARTH.

Source: American Geological Institute