Network motifs shape distinct functioning of Earth's moisture recycling hubs.

ABSTRACT: Earth's hydrological cycle critically depends on the atmospheric moisture flows connecting evaporation to precipitation. Here we convert a decade of reanalysis-based moisture simulations into a high-resolution global directed network of spatial moisture provisions. We reveal global and local network structures that offer a new view of the global hydrological cycle. We identify four terrestrial moisture recycling hubs: the Amazon Basin, the Congo Rainforest, South Asia and the Indonesian Archipelago. Network motifs reveal contrasting functioning of these regions, where the Amazon strongly relies on directed connections (feed-forward loops) for moisture redistribution and the other hubs on reciprocal moisture connections (zero loops and neighboring loops). We conclude that Earth's moisture r

SUBMITTER: Wunderling N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9630528 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature