Atmospheric rivers move poleward and change global weather patterns

Atmospheric rivers—those long, narrow bands of water vapor in the sky that bring heavy rain and storms to the U.S. West Coast and many other areas—are moving toward higher latitudes, changing the world's weather.

This shift is exacerbating droughts in some regions, intensifying floods in others, and threatening the water resources that many communities rely on. When atmospheric rivers reach far north into the Arctic, they can also melt sea ice, affecting global climate.

In a new study published in Science Advances , University of California, Santa Barbara, climate scientist Qinghua Ding and I show that atmospheric rivers have shifted about 6 to 10 degrees toward the two poles over the past four decades. (Zhe Li, The Conversation, more at phys.org)