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Science 26 April 2002:
Vol. 296. no. 5568, pp. 665 - 666
DOI: 10.1126/science.1071400
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Perspectives

ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE:
The Dust Settles on Water Vapor Feedback

Anthony D. Del Genio

Water vapor could almost double the sensitivity of climate to greenhouse gas increases, but doubts about the sign and magnitude of the effect persist. In his Perspective, Del Genio highlights the report by Soden et al., who demonstrate that the volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 caused a positive water vapor feedback. A general circulation model reproduces this global feedback accurately. The results suggest that a substantial water vapor feedback can also be expected in response to anthropogenic climate forcing.

The author is at NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, NY 10025, USA. E-mail: adelgenio{at}giss.nasa.gov

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)