Let $C$ be a smooth projective curve defined over a number field $k$, $X/k(C)$ a smooth projective curve of positive genus, $J_X$ the Jacobian variety of $X$ and $(tau,B)$ the $k(C)/k$-trace of $J_X$. We estimate how the rank of $J_X(k(C))/tau B(k)$ varies when we take an unramified abelian cover $pi:Cto C$ defined over $k$.