Human-Induced Arctic Moistening
Seung-Ki Min,
Xuebin Zhang,
Francis Zwiers*
The Arctic and northern subpolar regions are critical for climate
change. Ice-albedo feedback amplifies warming in the Arctic,
and fluctuations of regional fresh water inflow to the Arctic
Ocean modulate the deep ocean circulation and thus exert a strong
global influence. By comparing observations to simulations from
22 coupled climate models, we find influence from anthropogenic
greenhouse gases and sulfate aerosols in the space-time pattern
of precipitation change over high-latitude land areas north
of 55°N during the second half of the 20th century. The
human-induced Arctic moistening is consistent with observed
increases in Arctic river discharge and freshening of Arctic
water masses. This result provides new evidence that human activity
has contributed to Arctic hydrological change.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: Francis.Zwiers{at}ec.gc.ca
