Saving the Seas: Fixing the Water Cycle Is the Key
Atmospheric warming is causing saltier oceans and nastier storms As the atmosphere warms, the water cycle-the process by which seawater evaporates, rains down, and then evaporates again-will intensify. Everywhere, the ocean surface will become, on average, saltier. The extra evaporated water vapor will rain down disproportionately in areas such as the tropics and Scandinavia, bringing stronger storms and more frequent floods. Meanwhile, the areas just north and south of the tropics, which already tend to be saltier than other regions, will become saltier and warmer. In the very saltiest areas, existing "desert" areas-those too salty to host most life-could grow. The salt fountain raised chlorophyll levels a hundredfold.So far, scientists have been able to do about as much to reverse the intensification of the water cycle as they have to control any other aspect of the weather: not much. But one technique, Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion, or OTEC, might help. In the...