Researchers Find Ocean Wind Speeds Increasing Across Planet Over Past 25 Years

[hatrack]

During the last quarter-century, average wind speeds have increased over the world's oceans, as have wave heights, generating rougher seas, researchers reported in a study published online Thursday. Since faster winds cause more evaporation, the increase could lead to more water vapor in the air, compounding any increase from global warming and providing added moisture for rain. Generally, that means a higher chance for rainfall.

Researchers led by Ian Young of Swinburne University of Technology in Australia report in the journal Science that over a 23-year period, average wind speed over the oceans rose by 0.25 percent per year. The proportion of increase in wave height was less than for wind speed, the researchers noted, while the increase for extreme winds was more than for average winds.

The researchers said the higher winds aren't necessarily the result of global warming. But Eugene S. Takle, director of the climate science program at Iowa State University, and not part of Young's research team, noted that evaporation rises with higher wind speeds, so the result would be more moisture in the air even without global warming. And the warming shown in many studies would also increase evaporation.

Just two years ago, Takle and colleagues published a study of wind speeds over land showing a decrease, rather than the increase Young's team found in its measurements from satellites and buoys. Young studied satellite records from 1985 to 2010, though records for 1990-91 were not available because of satellite problems.

EDIT

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=13214109

[phantom power]

1. You know what this reminds me of...

it reminds me of that article a few years ago that pointed out that relative humidity appears to remain constant with increasing temps, which acts as a sort of CO2-amplifier. There was no mechanism proposed for the constant RH at the time, and it wasn't obvious, since a temperature increase would decrease RH, all other things remaining equal.

[truedelphi]

2. What's RH?

My guess would be relative humidity, but since you probably know, please clue me in.

[phantom power]

3. you guessed wisely :-)

[pscot]

4. I see a vortex forming

Way up in the middle of the air.