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Scenario for a warm, high-CO2 world

Abstract

Plausible patterns for temperature and precipitation changes accompanying a general global warming, such as might occur due to a large increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, are presented. The patterns are determined by comparing the five warmest years in the period 1925–74 with the five coldest in this period. Temperature increases are indicated for most regions, with maximum warming over northern Asia. A few isolated regions show cooling. Precipitation changes are fairly evenly distributed between increases and decreases; the most important features being an increase over India, and decreases in central and south-central USA and over much of Europe and Russia. The latter decreases, should they occur, could have considerable agricultural impact.

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Wigley, T., Jones, P. & Kelly, P. Scenario for a warm, high-CO2 world. Nature 283, 17–21 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1038/283017a0

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