Water vapor pressure should be addressed in Potomac study

Abstract

In Bruce Doe's article, “A Potomac Perspective on the Growing Global Greenhouse” (Eos, January 5,1999), a statement is made in the next to last paragraph that “other climatic parameters such as precipitation can correlate better than temperature among the five sites.” It would be expected that precipitation, and in particular the partial pressure of water vapor, should correlate with the carbon dioxide greenhouse effect.It was pointed out by W. G. Egan and coworkers in 1991 that there is an inverse relationship between carbon dioxide and water vapor partial pressure, seen both in laboratory experiments and at all worldwide Global Monitoring for Climate Change monitoring stations. Specific examples were presented for Cold Bay, Alaska and Palmer Station, Antarctica monthly and annually