USA Today, Climate Central report on Putnam’s rainfall study
USA Today, Climate Central and Popular Science reported on a new study led by University of Maine glacial geologist Aaron Putnam. The study, published in the journal Science Advances, found as the world warms due to human-induced climate change, variations in the global distribution of rainfall can be expected, impacting water resources in many places on Earth. The research suggests climate change will alter where rain falls around the world, making wet areas wetter and dry areas drier, especially in the summer, USA Today reported. The world’s rainiest areas may also push north during the winter, said Putnam, who added the redistribution of rainfall is worrisome as it would affect water availability for people around the world. NASA climate scientist Kate Marvel, who wasn’t involved with the study, told Climate Central the study “adds to the large body of evidence that climate change is going to mess with the large-scale motions of air and water in the atmosphere. And this matters, because those patterns largely determine where it’s rainy or arid, broadly speaking.” Scientific American and Beloit Daily News carried the Climate Central report.