Email 5295, May 2009: UEA's Stephen Dorling asks Phil Jones about "the recent finding that humidity was declining in the measurement record"

Email 5295

date: Fri, 22 May 2009 18:01:05 +0100 from: "Stephen Dorling" subject: Re: NERC Knowledge Transfer Partnership: Call for Insurance to: "Phil Jones"

...1. You [Phil Jones] mentioned, in the 'climate at uea' meeting with Bob Watson, Trevor et al the other week, the recent finding that humidity was declining in the measurement record. What should I refer to on that topic? Atmospheric chemistry types are talking about increases in absolute humidity (driven by warmer temps and more evap) driving changes in methane in the future - so why the observed declines and are those declines in absolute or relative humidity?