---
attrs:
  .reference_type: 0
  Abstract: "Data from the satellite-based Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) show that the total atmospheric moisture content over oceans has increased by 0.41 kg/m2 per decade since 1988. Results from current climate models indicate that water vapor increases of this magnitude cannot be explained by climate noise alone. In a formal detection and attribution analysis using the pooled results from 22 different climate models, the simulated “fingerprint” pattern of anthropogenically caused changes in water vapor is identifiable with high statistical confidence in the SSM/I data. Experiments in which forcing factors are varied individually suggest that this fingerprint “match” is primarily due to human-caused increases in greenhouse gases and not to solar forcing or recovery from the eruption of Mount Pinatubo. Our findings provide preliminary evidence of an emerging anthropogenic signal in the moisture content of earth's atmosphere. "
  Author: "Santer, B.D.\rMears, C.\rWentz, F.J.\rTaylor, K.E.\rGleckler, P.J.\rWigley, T.M.L\rBarnett, T.P.\rBoyle, J.S.\rBrüggemann, W.\rGillett, N.P.\rS. A. Klein\rG. A. Meehl\rT. Nozawa\rD. W. Pierce\rP. A. Stott\rW. M. Washington\rM. F. Wehner"
  DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0702872104
  ISSN: 0027-8424
  Issue: 39
  Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
  Keywords: climate change; climate modeling; detection and attribution; water vapor
  Pages: 15248-15253
  Title: Identification of human-induced changes in atmospheric moisture content
  URL: http://sa.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/PNAS-2007-Santer-15248-53.pdf
  Volume: 104
  Year: 2007
  _chapter: '["Ch. 2: Our Changing Climate FINAL","RF 2","Appendix 3: Climate Science FINAL"]'
  _record_number: 2743
  _uuid: bee16192-914f-4561-98e6-6cc3e33e2e41
  reftype: Journal Article
child_publication: /article/10.1073/pnas.0702872104
description: Identification of human-induced changes in atmospheric moisture content
display_name: Identification of human-induced changes in atmospheric moisture content
href: http://52.38.26.42:8080/reference/bee16192-914f-4561-98e6-6cc3e33e2e41.yaml
identifier: bee16192-914f-4561-98e6-6cc3e33e2e41
publications:
  - /report/nca3/chapter/our-changing-climate
  - /report/nca3/chapter/appendix-climate-science-supplement
  - /report/nca3/chapter/our-changing-climate/finding/global-climate-is-changing
  - /report/nca3
type: reference
uri: /reference/bee16192-914f-4561-98e6-6cc3e33e2e41