Sovremennye problemy distantsionnogo zondirovaniya Zemli iz kosmosa, 2018, Vol. 15, No. 3, pp. 243-251
Total precipitable water of the atmosphere as a climate forcing factor
V.N. Malinin
1 , S.M. Gordeeva
1, 2 , L.M. Naumov
1 1 Russian State Hydrometeorological University, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
2 P.P.Shirshov Institute of Oceanology Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
Accepted: 18.05.2018
DOI: 10.21046/2070-7401-2018-15-3-243-251
The work is devoted to the study of large-scale variability of the total precipitable water over the world ocean and its relationship with the air temperature on the surface layer of the ocean. Trend estimates of the total precipitable water, the vertical moisture exchange components and the air temperature over the world ocean for 1988–2016 period are given. A close relationship between the total precipitable water and the air temperature is shown. With the increase in temperature by 1 °C the moisture content increases by 10 %, which does not correspond to the Clausius –Clapeyron equation. With the increase in the global air temperature there is some increase in the moisture content, but since the water vapor is the main greenhouse gas its growth through the greenhouse effect inevitably leads to increase in the air temperature. Dimensionless estimates of trends of the global ocean-atmosphere system characteristics are given. It is determined that trend changes in the total precipitable water depend on vertical moisture exchange of ocean and the atmosphere, rather than on the global warming. It is concluded that as the total precipitable water has a significant effect on variability of the air temperature through the greenhouse effect, it should be regarded as a climate forcing playing a significant role in formation of the modern global warming.
Keywords: total precipitable water, air temperature, greenhouse effect, global warming, statistical models
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