Atmospheric rivers are shifting poleward, reshaping global weather patterns

Atmospheric rivers - those long, narrow bands of water vapor in the air that bring heavy rains and storms to the US West Coast and many other regions - are shifting to higher latitudes, changing weather patterns around the world.

This shift is worsening droughts in some regions, intensifying flooding in others, and endangering the water supplies on which many communities depend. When atmospheric rivers reach far north into the Arctic, they can also melt sea ice, affecting global climate.

In a new study published in Science Advances, University of California, Santa Barbara, climate scientist Qinghua Ding and I show ...