Mother Jones translates a scientific study appearing in Science magazine that shows evidence that changes in the saltiness of areas of the ocean are causing shifting weather patterns, including more or less precipitation. The study posits that moving forward dry regions of the world are going to get even drier and wetter regions could be prone to more flooding.
Surface salinity changes from 1950 to 2000. Red shows regions becoming saltier, blue regions becoming fresher: P.J. Durack, et al. Science. 2012. DOI:10.1126/science.1212222 A paper in Science today finds rapidly changing ocean salinities as a result of a warming atmosphere have intensified the global water cycle (evaporation and precipitation) by an incredible 4 percent between 1950 and 2000.
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