Scientists from an Austrian university have discovered a method that leverages satellite signals to more accurately understand the evolution of so-called “atmospheric rivers,” which drive extreme weather events along coastal regions and can contain twice as much water as the Amazon River.
The newly developed technique allows for a much more detailed image of these bands of concentrated water vapor in the atmosphere, according to three scientists from the University of Graz, in southern Austria, in an article published this week in the scientific journal Atmospheric Measurement Techniques.
According to Ulrich Foelsche, one of the authors of the study, these “rivers” of concentrated water vapor have so far been observed primarily using passive microwave sensors on satellites.
A good estimate
“These data allow a good estimate of the amount of water vapor, but they do not provide information on its vertical distribution, which is essential for understanding its dynamics,” said the meteorologist, who developed the new solution with his colleagues Bahareh Rahimi and Linda Martina Maier.
The new tool allows researchers to obtain an “X-ray” of the air to understand how these atmospheric rivers are generated and move, causing intense rainfall, strong winds, and flooding in coastal areas, such as those that have occurred in recent years in the United States, Africa, and Europe. In Europe, the most affected areas are the Iberian Peninsula, the United Kingdom, and France, explain the Graz experts.
To carry out the study, the scientists focused on analyzing the behavior of atmospheric rivers over Africa, as this is a continent where these rivers are increasingly recognized as key factors in the formation of extreme weather events.
Improving climate resilience
“Understanding the dynamics of atmospheric rivers in Africa is critical to improving climate resilience, water management, and understanding extreme rainfall events,” the study authors emphasize. For their research, the three experts identified more than 1,700 atmospheric rivers that affected the African continent between 2009 and 2019.
Furthermore, the analysis found that the main sources of moisture are found in the Atlantic Ocean, the Arabian Sea, and the Red Sea. Foelsche also warned that, with current climate change, these atmospheric rivers are likely to intensify even further in the future.
