Work

Precipitation Over the Contiguous United States Is Coming From Farther Away Than in the Past

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Atmospheric moisture transport is an essential component of the Earth's water cycle, carrying water vapor thousands of miles and controlling which regions receive precipitation and which do not. Here, we employ atmospheric moisture tracking, applied to 35 years of reanalysis data to investigate decadal trends in atmospheric moisture transport for moisture precipitating in various watershed regions within the contiguous United States of America (CONUS). We find that across portions of CONUS water vapor is traveling farther over longer periods of time before precipitating, and less of it is coming from terrestrial sources. These findings confirm a trend that has been predicted by theory and models and have implications for future water resource governance.

Source: Geophysical Research Letters

DOI: 10.1029/2026gl122565

Authors: T. Aerenson, D. McCoy, P. Keys, D. Caulton

Institutions: University of Wyoming, Boston University

Language: English

Topic: Climate variability and models

Subfield: Global and Planetary Change

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Climate action

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,190