Rainfall increasing over tropical oceans

GREENBELT, Md. -- U.S. scientists say rainfall over tropical oceans has been on the rise over the past three decades.

A 27-year-long global record of rainfall assembled from satellite and ground-based instruments shows the rainiest years in the tropics between 1979 and 2005 were mainly since 2001 researchers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., said in a news release Monday.

The rainiest year was 2005.

"When we look at the whole planet over almost three decades, the total amount of rain falling has changed very little. But in the tropics, where nearly two-thirds of all rain falls, there has been an increase of 5 percent," said lead author Guojun Gu.

Co-author Robert F. Adler said a warming climate is the most plausible cause of the observed trend.

NASA said climate scientists have predicted a warming trend in the earth's atmosphere and surface temperatures would increase the evaporation of water from the ocean and land and allow air to hold more moisture.

The study is published in the American Meteorological Society's Journal of Climate.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International.