Nature Communication: Snowfall in the Arctic will be replaced by rain due to warming
Rain will replace snowfall in the Arctic decades earlier. This is the conclusion reached by an international team of scientists based on improved models. The results of the study are presented in an article published in the journal Nature Communication.
It is known that the Arctic region heats up much faster than the rest of the planet, as a result of the melting of sea ice, which saturates the air with water vapor and is likely to lead to a significant increase in precipitation. Now scientists have shown that the transition from annual precipitation with a predominance of snowfalls to precipitation with a predominance of rain will occur one or two decades earlier, if the current rate of carbon dioxide emissions continues.
On the other hand, if the goal can be achieved. Of the Paris Agreement and to keep the rise in global temperatures by 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the prevalence of snowfall over rainfall in the Arctic will continue. However, if the worst-case scenario is realized, it will have a catastrophic impact on both polar ecosystems and more southerly latitudes. For example, reduced snow cover will affect the reflection of solar heat and light from the Earth's surface and thus contribute to warming.