Is Water Vapor in the Stratosphere Slowing Global Warming

Author: David Biello

Journal: Scientific American

Date Published : January 29, 2010

Link: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=is-water-vapor-in-the-stratosphere-slowing-global-warming

Earth stratosphere is a cold, dry place above the troposphere. The only way that water gets into the high latitude above the Earth’s surface, is when it billows up from the humid tropics rising up to the tropopause. Since 2001 there has been less water in the stratosphere because of cooler temperatures in the tropopause and may be holding back global warming. The reason for water vapor temperature change is because the drop in temperature at the interference between troposphere and stratosphere. This effect can be in the variability of Earth’s climate or carbon dioxide and other greenhouses gases trapping more heat and warming the sea surface temperature. Methane’s growth rate has dropped which has made it a weaker source of stratospheric water. A drier lower stratosphere has slowed warming caused by thickening the greenhouses gas blanket.

This article is describing how the greenhouses gas, such as CO₂, has dried the stratosphere causing global warming slowed. This is an example of discovery based science because the observations made by the scientists of the stratosphere and the troposphere made them conclude that the greenhouses gases are the cause of slowing global warming. This article is important to us because it informs us that thanks to the greenhouses gases, global warming has slowed, no longer making it a fast problem for our Earth environment.