Pole to pole divergence of water vapor

Abstract

A study of the mean divergence of the water vapor transport on a planetary scale from pole to pole during the IGY is presented. The fields of the mean precipitable water content, of the total vertically integrated water vapor transport and of its divergence covering all the globe are included. Some implications of the water vapor divergence field in connection with the oceanography, hydrology and with the energetics of the general circulation of the atmosphere are discussed. The actual analysis is compared with the previous work obtained from aerological data and with studies of other authors obtained from a different and independent approach, such as the analyses based upon classic climatological procedures.