News Item
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Holly Else
Summary: Climate change and COVID-19 vaccines are important themes that will shape future research.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Nikolaos Christidis, Peter A. A. Stott
Summary: Human influence and persistent low pressure are estimated to increase the likelihood of extreme May rainfall in the United Kingdom, in year 2021, by about 1.5 and 3.5 times, respectively.
BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Biographical-Item
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jos Lelieveld
Summary: Ozone, a Nobel Prize winner, coined the term "Anthropocene".
Article
Environmental Sciences
Valerio Lucarini, Vera Melinda Galfi, Jacopo Riboldi, Gabriele Messori
Summary: Understanding the statistical properties of extreme weather events and their underlying physical processes is crucial for evaluating climate variability, climate change, and associated hazards. Recent studies have shown that large deviation theory (LDT) is useful for investigating persistent extreme events and estimating long return periods. In this study, we utilize LDT and a state-of-the-art Earth system model to analyze the 2021 Western North America summer heatwave. We find that the occurrence of the heatwave can be attributed to climate variability, but its probability is greatly amplified by ongoing climate change. We also examine the spatial coherence and the role of the Rocky Mountains in influencing extreme events in the Western Pacific region of North America.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
M. T. Richardson, R. J. Roy, M. D. Lebsock
Summary: Tropical upper-troposphere clouds are expected to rise and contribute to positive radiative feedback under global warming. A comparison between satellite retrievals and atmospheric models shows that the observed trend of cloud altitude increase is greater than that of the models. The observed cloud height response extends into the subtropics, which is different from the models' prediction. Further investigation is needed to explore the time-dependent biases in MODIS cloud retrievals.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Shibo Xu, Meiling Zhang, Maoxin Su
Summary: In the future global warming trend, the impacts of climate change on grassland productivity are uncertain. This study investigated the effect of climate change on grassland NPP in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and predicted the NPP under different climate scenarios. The results showed a decrease in NPP from southeast to northwest of the plateau, and a decline in NPP under both SSP245 and SSP585 scenarios compared to the base period. Temperature and precipitation had different correlations with NPP in the two scenarios. To mitigate the negative impacts of climate change, it is important to strengthen grassland ecosystem protection measures and implement region-specific protection mechanisms.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Editorial Material
Environmental Sciences
Rune Dietz, Simon Wilson, Lisa L. Loseto, Aurelien Dommergue, Zhouqing Xie, Christian Sonne, John Chetelat
Summary: This editorial presents an overview of the special issue on advances in Arctic mercury science, highlighting the contributions of Indigenous Peoples and providing policy-relevant recommendations for future research.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Editorial Material
Environmental Sciences
Frank Lehmkuhl, Holger Schuttrumpf, Jan Schwarzbauer, Catrina Brull, Michael Dietze, Peter Letmathe, Carolin Volker, Henner Hollert
Summary: This special issue aims to collect scientific evaluations and implications of the 2021 summer flood, providing an overview of the integrative assessment of the flood in Central Europe.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES EUROPE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
James Doss-Gollin, David J. Farnham, Upmanu Lall, Vijay Modi
Summary: Winter storm Uri brought severe cold to the southern United States in February 2021, which caused a failure of interconnected energy systems in Texas due to inadequate preparation. Historical storms indicate that similar temperatures have occurred in the past, and without adaptive investments, future storms may lead to even greater infrastructure failures.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dongyoung Lee, Jiyoung Shin, Youngil Song, Hoon Chang, Hanna Cho, Jinhan Park, Jewoo Hong
Summary: This paper presents the development, main content, significance, and limitations of the Republic of Korea's 3rd National Climate Change Adaptation Plan, aiming to provide a helpful case for other countries in formulating their own national adaptation plans. The plan recommends 232 measures based on scientific evidence to enhance adaptive capacity to 84 climate risks, with the involvement of various parties. However, the plan's limitations include insufficient willingness to monitor and implement measures, differences in the spectrum of adaptation measures among government departments, and lack of English language publicity.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Karen A. McKinnon, Isla R. Simpson
Summary: The study reveals that the 2021 heatwave in the Pacific Northwest was extremely rare, occurring with a frequency of approximately one in a hundred thousand years. Although historical data does not indicate a faster warming rate in the upper tail of temperature compared to the mean, future projections show a significant positive trend in the probability of the most extreme events for locations with similar climatological characteristics.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Ondrej Lhotka, Jan Kysely
Summary: The past two decades in Europe have experienced numerous major heat waves, with the summers of 2019 and 2021 standing out as record-breaking events. The 2021 heat wave in particular set a new record in terms of its duration across Europe. The study also reveals the rapid changing summer climate in Europe.
EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Philip J. Klotzbach, Kimberly M. Wood, Carl J. Schreck, Steven G. Bowen, Christina M. Patricola, Michael M. Bell
Summary: This study examines global tropical cyclone activity trends from 1990 to 2021, revealing decreases in hurricane numbers and ACE, along with increases in short-lived named storms and TC-related damage. These trends may be attributed to technological advancements and higher potential intensity.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Daniel H. Sandweiss, Kirk A. Maasch, Heather A. Landazuri, Elizabeth Leclerc
Summary: The study suggests that the Central Pacific flavor of El Nino may contribute to the aridity observed in the highland Titicaca Basin of the South Central Andes during the Medieval Climate Anomaly. There is an urgent need for a longer record of CP presence and frequency to better understand this phenomenon.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Xiaofei Wang, Yue Huang, Tie Liu, Weibing Du
Summary: From 1990 to 2021, the Chinese Altay Mountains experienced a glacier area retreat rate of 0.55% per year, which is lower than the rate from 1960 to 2009. The retreat rate of glacier volume is 0.60% per year. Most glaciers are located at elevations ranging from 2600 to 3400 m, with the greatest area loss occurring between 2800 and 3000 m. South-facing glaciers have the largest retreat rate. The rate of change of glacier area varies in different sub-basins, with the Haba sub-basin having the highest rate at -1.26% per year. In the period from 1990 to 2021, the increase of solar radiation (35.72%) and summer temperature (25.3%) contributed more significantly to glacier retreat compared to other climate factors.
Article
Oceanography
Gregory C. Johnson, John M. Lyman
Summary: This article discusses the statistical climatology of depth, temperature, and salinity in the global ocean surface mixed layer. The properties of the mixed layer are influenced by various factors that operate over different time scales. The depth of the mixed layer can change rapidly due to surface heating, precipitation, or density gradients, but deepening the mixed layer requires substantial buoyancy loss or strong wind mixing, which takes more time. The distribution of mixed layer depth is skewed positive, with temperature and salinity exhibiting different characteristics in different regions.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Gregory C. Johnson, Caitlin B. Whalen, Sarah G. Purkey, Nathalie Zilberman
Summary: Vertical velocity variances and dominant vertical wavelengths show regional variations, with larger root < w '(2)> and shorter lambda(z) in regions of rougher bathymetry or stronger deep currents.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Norman G. Loeb, Michael Mayer, Seiji Kato, John T. Fasullo, Hao Zuo, Retish Senan, John M. Lyman, Gregory C. Johnson, Magdalena Balmaseda
Summary: Satellite, reanalysis, and ocean in situ data were used to analyze the trends in Earth's energy fluxes during the first 20 years of the twenty-first century. The study found regional, hemispheric, and global variations in these trends, with significant differences observed between different datasets. The analysis also revealed agreement between the trend patterns observed in oceanic heat transfer and the difference between top-of-atmosphere and surface fluxes.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
F. J. Beron-Vera, M. J. Olascoaga, N. F. Putman, J. Trinanes, G. J. Goni, R. Lumpkin
Summary: By analyzing data from ocean drifters, this study reveals the similarity between the distribution of probability density and the observed high concentration belt of Sargassum in the tropical Atlantic. It also identifies a northwest basin in the Gulf of Mexico that attracts Sargassum, which is weakly connected to the Sargasso Sea but includes nutrient-rich regions and an upwelling system off the coast of West Africa. Transition Path Theory is then applied to infer potential pathways for Sargassum invasion, showing two possible routes from the African coast into the Intra-Americas Seas.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shane Elipot, Adam Sykulski, Rick Lumpkin, Luca Centurioni, Mayra Pazos
Summary: This dataset is generated from the temperature observations of surface drifting buoys of NOAA's Global Drifter Program. It provides estimates of sea surface temperature (SST) along drifter trajectories at regular hourly intervals, taking into account both diurnal and low-frequency variability. The dataset includes non-diurnal SST estimates, diurnal SST anomalies, and total SST along with their respective standard uncertainties.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Tim Boyer, Huai-Min Zhang, Kevin O'Brien, James Reagan, Stephen Diggs, Eric Freeman, Hernan Garcia, Emma Heslop, Patrick Hogan, Boyin Huang, Li-Qing Jiang, Alex Kozyr, Chunying Liu, Ricardo Locarnini, Alexey V. Mishonov, Christopher Paver, Zhankun Wang, Melissa Zweng, Simone Alin, Leticia Barbero, John A. Barth, Mathieu Belbeoch, Just Cebrian, Kenneth J. Connell, Rebecca Cowley, Dmitry Dukhovskoy, Nancy R. Galbraith, Gustavo Goni, Fred Katz, Martin Kramp, Arun Kumar, David M. Legler, Rick Lumpkin, Clive R. McMahon, Denis Pierrot, Albert J. Plueddemann, Emily A. Smith, Adrienne Sutton, Victor Turpin, Long Jiang, V. Suneel, Rik Wanninkhof, Robert A. Weller, Annie P. S. Wong
Summary: Since 2000, the proliferation and organization of autonomous platforms have contributed to a golden age in in situ ocean observing. These platforms, along with ship-based observations, have enhanced our understanding of the ocean's role in Earth's climate system, weather forecasting, and climate projections. However, the global COVID-19 pandemic has posed challenges to the maintenance of the observing system, resulting in significant loss of long-term observations and impacting the monitoring of crucial variables such as ocean carbon and the state of the deep ocean.
BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Franz Philip Tuchen, Renellys C. Perez, Gregory R. Foltz, Peter Brandt, Rick Lumpkin
Summary: Tropical Instability Waves (TIWs) are the dominant source of intraseasonal variability in the central equatorial Atlantic and play a crucial role in redistributing heat in the upper ocean. A study using multidecadal records of various oceanic variables has shown a long-term intensification of intraseasonal variability, particularly due to increased TIW activity. This pattern is driven by enhanced barotropic energy conversion from the covariance of horizontal current fluctuations.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Oceanography
Gregory C. Johnson, Brian A. King
Summary: The Zapiola Gyre is a large counterclockwise swirling ocean current in the Argentine Basin. It is driven by various factors, including conductivity and bottom friction. Data from the Deep Argo floats have provided insights into the structure and role of this prominent feature of the ocean circulation.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Heather M. Holbach, Olivier Bousquet, Lisa Bucci, Paul Chang, Joe Cione, Sarah Ditchek, Jim Doyle, Jean-Philippe Duvel, Jack Elston, Gustavo Goni, Kai Kwong Hon, Kosuke Ito, Zorana Jelenak, Xiaotu Lei, Rick Lumpkin, Clive R. Mcmahon, Christopher Reason, Elizabeth Sanabia, Lynn Keith Shay, Jason A. Sippel, Andrey Sushko, Jie Tang, Kazuhisa Tsuboki, Hiroyuki Yamada, Jonathan Zawislak, Jun A. Zhang
Summary: This report discusses the collection of aircraft and in situ observations of tropical cyclones over the past four years, improvements in observing techniques, new instruments, and research results. It also highlights changes in operational aircraft reconnaissance and research field campaigns in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Western Pacific basins. The report emphasizes the potential of new technologies and observation strategies to improve ocean-atmosphere coupled intensity forecasts.
TROPICAL CYCLONE RESEARCH AND REVIEW
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sang-Ki Lee, Rick Lumpkin, Fabian Gomez, Stephen Yeager, Hosmay Lopez, Filippos Takglis, Shenfu Dong, Wilton Aguiar, Dongmin Kim, Molly Baringer
Summary: According to diagnostic model simulations, anthropogenic activities have caused changes in the global meridional overturning circulation since the 1950s. The upper overturning cell in the Southern Ocean has expanded and strengthened, while the lower cell has contracted and weakened. These changes have significant implications for the redistribution of ocean properties, including marine ecosystems and carbon cycling. A readjustment of the global meridional overturning circulation seems to be occurring in the South Atlantic and Indo-Pacific Oceans since the mid-2000s in response to the changes observed in the Southern Ocean.
COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Nathan F. Putman, R. Taylor Beyea, Lowell Andrew R. Iporac, Joaquin Trinanes, Emilie G. Ackerman, Maria J. Olascoaga, Christian M. Appendini, Jaime Arriaga, Ligia Collado-Vides, Rick Lumpkin, Chuanmin Hu, Gustavo Goni
Summary: Massive blooms of pelagic Sargassum algae have caused serious problems to coastal communities and ecosystems throughout the tropical Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico since 2011. Efforts to monitor and predict these occurrences are challenging owing to the vast area impacted and the complexities associated with the proliferation and movement of Sargassum.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
G. C. Johnson, R. Lumpkin
BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Gregory C. C. Johnson, Felix W. W. Landerer, Norman G. G. Loeb, John M. M. Lyman, Michael Mayer, Abigail L. S. Swann, Jinlun Zhang
Summary: The global seasonal cycle of energy in Earth's climate system is quantified using observations and reanalyses. Closure of the global seasonal energy budget is achieved by limiting the local vertical integration of new global ocean heat content estimates to the depth to which seasonal heat energy is stored.
SURVEYS IN GEOPHYSICS
(2023)
