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Atmospheric Science
Anthropogenic greenhouse forcing and strong water vapor feedback increase temperature in Europe
Article first published online: 8 OCT 2005
DOI: 10.1029/2005GL023624
Copyright 2005 by the American Geophysical Union.
Additional Information
How to Cite
, , , and (2005), Anthropogenic greenhouse forcing and strong water vapor feedback increase temperature in Europe, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L19809, doi:10.1029/2005GL023624.
Publication History
- Issue published online: 8 OCT 2005
- Article first published online: 8 OCT 2005
- Manuscript Accepted: 17 AUG 2005
- Manuscript Revised: 8 JUL 2005
- Manuscript Received: 25 MAY 2005
- Abstract
- Article
- References
- Cited By
[1] Europe's temperature increases considerably faster than the northern hemisphere average. Detailed month-by-month analyses show temperature and humidity changes for individual months that are similar for all Europe, indicating large-scale weather patterns uniformly influencing temperature. However, superimposed to these changes a strong west-east gradient is observed for all months. The gradual temperature and humidity increases from west to east are not related to circulation but must be due to non-uniform water vapour feedback. Surface radiation measurements in central Europe manifest anthropogenic greenhouse forcing and strong water vapor feedback, enhancing the forcing and temperature rise by about a factor of three. Solar radiation decreases and changing cloud amounts show small net radiative effects. However, high correlation of increasing cloud-free longwave downward radiation with temperature (r = 0.99) and absolute humidity (r = 0.89), and high correlation between ERA-40 integrated water vapor and CRU surface temperature changes (r = 0.84), demonstrates greenhouse forcing with strong water vapor feedback.