Scientists said rising levels of water vapor in the upper troposphere will intensify the effects of global warming.

Brian Soden, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Miami Rosentiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, said a study by his team is the first to confirm that human activity can increase the water vapor in the upper troposphere.

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Soden and his colleagues investigated a 30-year moistening trend in the upper atmosphere and its causes.

They measured the water vapor in the upper troposphere collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellites.

Researchers compared their data to climate model predictions of water circulation between the ocean and atmosphere that determine whether changes in atmospheric water vapor could be explained by human-made causes.

The set of climate models used for this experiment confirm that the rising water vapor in the upper troposphere cannot be explained by natural forces.

These natural forces can only be explained by the increase of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Their climate model predicted that the concentration of water vapor increases in response to global warming as the climate warms from burning fossil fuels.

They also found out that the moistened atmosphere absorbs more heat that raises the Earth's temperature.

Researchers said greenhouse gases trap the Earth's radiant heat inside the atmosphere causing a rise in the Earth's temperature.

The greenhouse effect can increase the accumulation of water vapor radiated into the atmosphere. This in turn can result in increasing the average surface temperature.