Current and Future Variations of the Monsoons of the Americas in a Warming Climate

Purpose of Review Understanding the details of the impact of global warming on the North and South America monsoons is of key importance for the well-being of a great number of inhabitants of the Americas. This review deals with the latest research on this topic. Recent Findings Combined multiple datasets, high-resolution global climate models and regional convection–permitting models provide new insights on the evolution of the North and South American monsoons under global warming, suggesting a precipitation reduction in the North American Monsoon, the southward shift of the core of the South American Monsoon, and precipitation reduction in the Amazon Basin. These changes are accompanied by increased frequency of extreme precipitation events in both monsoon regions. Summary Uncertainty in the response mechanisms to global warming remains high, especially for the North American monsoon. To make progress, the evaluation of local and remote drives is critical, for which we need a combined use of regional and global models.