Climate Change Is Intensifying the Global Water Cycle

Changes in the salinity of our oceans suggest dry regions will get drier, and wet regions wetter.

By Theo Nicitopoulos
Mar 25, 2022 12:55 PMMar 25, 2022 12:54 PM
Ocean evaporation
(Credit: donvictorio/Shutterstock)

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Human-induced climate change is warming the planet and, in turn, enabling our atmosphere to hold more moisture. The magnitude and extent of this shift are challenging to see on a global scale, but its effects on local weather are much more noticeable: Greater evaporation in some regions and increased precipitation in others has already driven more frequent and intense droughts and rainfall — with the risk of more extreme weather events looming in the near future.

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