Ocean warming could drive heavy rain bands toward the poles

Abstract

In a world warmed by rising atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations, precipitation patterns will change because of two factors: First, warmer air can hold more water, and, second, changing atmospheric circulation patterns will shift where rain falls. According to previous model research, middle‐ to high‐latitude precipitation is expected to increase by as much as 50%. However, the reasons models predict this are hard to tease out.