The animation shows the fraction of the vertically integrated atmospheric moisture that stems from continental evaporation (including plant transpiration). Results are shown for an arbitrarily chosen year. To compute the fraction of continental moisture, a diagnostic tracing algorithm was applied to the wind, humidity, and evaporation fields as simulated with ECHAM6. It is hoped that such simulations provide some indication for the sensitivity of precipitation on continental evaporation. The results, which were part of the study of MPI-M employees Helge Goessling und Christian Reick, were rendered by Michael Böttinger of DKRZ.

More information:

Goessling, H. F. und Reick, C. H., 2011: What do moisture recycling estimates tell us? Exploring the extreme case of non-evaporating continents. In: Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 15, 3217-3235. doi: 10.5194/hess-15-3217-2011