Earth getting wetter and stickier

Greenhouse gases are making the earth's atmosphere wetter and stickier, which may lead to more powerful hurricanes, hotter temperatures and heavier rainfall in tropical regions, British researchers reported on October 10. The findings, published in the journal Nature, are some of the first to show how human-produced greenhouse gases have affected global humidity levels in recent decades and could offer clues on future climate change, the researchers said. "It is another piece of the puzzle that climate change is happening and we are influencing it," said Nathan Gillet, a climate researcher at the University of East Anglia. Human emissions of gases such as methane and carbon dioxide that trap heat in the atmosphere are widely blamed for changes in the climate. Scientists say average global temperatures will rise by 2 to 6 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, causing droughts, floods and violent storms. Warmer air can hold more water vapour. "It has been predicted for a long time that humidity would increase with greenhouse gas increases," said Gillet, who led the study. "But this is the first study that shows a significant human impact on surface humidity," he said in a telephone interview.