Daniel Swain explains the atmosphere’s ability to act as a giant sponge with temperature rise | Sustainable LA Grand Challenge

Katerina Jowid
December 05, 2022
SLAGC News and Events

Daniel Swain explains the atmosphere’s ability to act as a giant sponge with temperature rise

Publication: Yahoo News

UCLA Expert: Daniel Swain: Assistant Researcher and Climate Specialist, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability

Synopsis: As the negative consequences of rising global temperatures due to mankind’s relentless burning of fossil fuels become more and more apparent in communities across the United States, anxiety over finding a place to live safe from the ravages of climate change has also been on the rise.

UCLA News: According to Swain, our ability to predict weather or extreme events is improving incrementally over time. “But if we’re talking about predicting large-scale shifts over decades, I still think we’re kind of behind the curve,” he said. “We can’t always represent those changes very well because we don’t always understand them.” As an example, Swain cites the Clausius-Clapeyron equation, which describes the increase in atmospheric moisture as well as the accelerated rate of evaporation that results from every degree of temperature rise. The Clausius-Clapeyron relationship also increases what is known as the vapor pressure deficit,” he said, which means that “the atmosphere’s potential to act as a giant sponge and extract more water out of the landscape has increased, even if the relative humidity has stayed the same. This Clausius-Clapeyron relationship is actually what drives the atmosphere’s capacity to dry out the landscape faster.”