Get Ready For More Flooding: Tropical Warming Statistically Linked to Increased Rainfall
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY 
on 08. 8.08
photo by Carol Mitchell
It’s nearly conventional wisdom at this point that as global warming increases atmospheric temperatures there will be a corresponding rise in rainfall in some areas. Well that assumption just got some statistical data to support it.
The New York Times is reporting that a new study " Atmospheric Warming and the Amplification of Precipitation Extremes", finds a “strong statistical link between warmth and extreme tropical downpours”.
The observed rise in the heaviest tropical rains is about twice that produced by computer simulations used to assess how human-caused global warming could change rainfall, said the researchers.
Researchers analyzed 20 years of NASA satellite data measuring tropical rainfall to come to this conclusion.
Poorer Nations Lack Infrastructure to Cope With Increased Extreme Weather
The article points out that while wealthier countries may be able to cope with increased flooding, poorer countries will have a harder time bearing the brunt of increased extreme rainfall events and flash-flooding. With adequate drainage to cope with this increased rainfall, economic growth could suffer and waterborne diseases could increase.
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