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Tropical Coastal Dehydrator in Global Atmospheric Water Circulation
Author(s) -
Ogino ShinYa,
Yamanaka Manabu D.,
Mori Shuichi,
Matsumoto Jun
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2017gl075760
Subject(s) - environmental science , water cycle , precipitation , salinity , submarine pipeline , atmosphere (unit) , oceanography , climatology , ocean current , water vapor , water circulation , atmospheric sciences , geology , meteorology , geography , ecology , biology , inlet
We present a conceptual advance of the global water cycle in which the precipitation concentrated in tropical coastlines plays the role of an atmospheric dehydrator between the ocean and land. Landward water vapor transport peaks as it enters the coastal region (a few hundred kilometers offshore), and about half of the water vapor is consumed as precipitation over the coastal region before reaching the inland. Our results also revealed that the significant amount of net freshwater is supplied from the atmosphere to the coastal ocean, which is comparable to that of the land water discharge. This fact further provides a new insight on the ocean salinity distribution and its associated dynamics. We discuss a possible link between the tropical land distribution and the Earth's climate through the water circulation.