Global map of water isotope patterns (IMAGE)

University of Tokyo

Global map of water isotope patterns

Caption

Satellite observations reveal how the abundance of naturally occurring heavy water molecules changes around the world about 4 kilometers above the surface. These subtle differences reflect the history of evaporation, condensation and atmospheric transport, providing weather models with information that ordinary humidity measurements cannot capture. ©2026 Yoshimura et al. CC-BY-ND

Credit

©2026 Yoshimura et al. CC-BY-ND

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Credit must be given to the creator. No derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted.

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CC BY-ND

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