The Rivers in the Sky That Can End a Drought or Cause a Disaster

There are rivers moving across the sky that can carry more water than some of the world's largest rivers on the ground.

They aren't made of flowing water you can see.

They're enormous corridors of concentrated moisture traveling through the atmosphere—and when they arrive, they can completely transform the weather below.

The Rivers in the Sky That Can End a Drought or Cause a Disaster explores the phenomenon known as atmospheric rivers and the incredible amount of water vapor they can transport across continents.

Atmospheric rivers form when large amounts of moisture are gathered in the atmosphere and carried by strong winds.

When one reaches land and encounters mountains or other weather systems, that moisture can be forced upward, cool, and fall as rain or snow.

The results can be dramatic.

An atmospheric river can deliver desperately needed precipitation to a drought-stricken region, replenish reservoirs, build mountain snowpack, and provide an important source of freshwater.

But the same phenomenon can also bring extreme rainfall.

If the atmosphere is already saturated or several storms arrive in succession, an atmospheric river can produce flooding, landslides, damaging winds, and dangerous river conditions.

This is especially important in places where large portions of annual precipitation arrive during relatively short periods.

Scientists use satellites, weather balloons, aircraft observations, radar, ocean measurements, and computer models to track these enormous moisture corridors.

Forecasting their strength and location can help communities prepare for both beneficial rainfall and potentially destructive flooding.

Climate change adds another layer to the story.

A warmer atmosphere can hold more water vapor, which can influence the amount of moisture available to atmospheric rivers and potentially increase the intensity of some extreme precipitation events.

The remarkable part is that something invisible can have such a visible impact.

A river in the sky can help end a drought.

The same kind of system can overwhelm rivers on the ground.

And thousands of miles above us, enormous amounts of water are constantly moving through the atmosphere.

The Rivers in the Sky That Can End a Drought or Cause a Disaster.

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