There are two main effects associated with climate change:
(1) An increase in global mean temperature, which we have discussed already.
(2) An increase in evaporation everywhere, driven by increased greenhouse gas concentrations and increased temperatures.
The increase in evaporation also implies an increase in precipitation, because the atmosphere canŐt store water vapor indefinitely. There is no clear consensus on how the increase in precipitation will be distributed.
However, we do know that it will not be distributed uniformly.
This increase in evaporation and precipitation is known as the intensification of
the hydrologic cycle.