Satellites May Have Underestimated Global Warming in the Lower Atmosphere Over the Last 40 Years

TOPICS:Atmospheric ScienceClimate ChangeClimate ScienceGlobal WarmingLawrence Livermore National Laboratory

ByLAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LABORATORYMAY 30, 2021

New research by LLNL scientists shows that satellite measurements of the temperature of the troposphere (the lowest region of the atmosphere) may have underestimated global warming over the last 40 years. One of the physical processes they looked at was tropical water vapor like shown in this NASA image. Credit: NASA

New research by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) climate scientists and collaborators shows that satellite measurements of the temperature of the troposphere (the lowest region of the atmosphere) may have underestimated global warming over the last 40 years.

The research appears in theJournal of Climate.

The team studied four different properties of tropical climate change. Each property is a ratio between trends in…