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Uncertainty in long-run economic growth likely points toward greater emissions, climate change costs

Researchers found substantially higher uncertainty than assumed in current climate change studies, with a median per capita output growth rate of 2.03% per year. This new understanding of uncertainty will affect policy planning globally.

SourceUniversity of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateMay 14, 2018

SimEarth

The Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) simulates the Earth's atmosphere, oceanic, land and ice components together. The new model can help researchers anticipate decadal-scale changes that could influence the U.S. energy sector.

Temperature swings to hit poor countries hardest

New research suggests that poor countries will experience significant increases in temperature variability due to climate change. The study found that up to 15% more extreme temperature fluctuations are predicted for southern Africa and Amazonia, highlighting the unfair pattern of climate impacts on vulnerable populations.

SourceUniversity of Exeter·JournalScience Advances·DateMay 3, 2018

Scientists accurately model the action of aerosols on clouds

Researchers have developed a high-resolution climate model that accurately simulates the interaction between aerosols and clouds. The model shows that increasing aerosol density can lead to a decrease in cloud cover in certain areas, contradicting previous assumptions.

SourceRIKEN·JournalNature Communications·DateMar 8, 2018

Advances in Atmospheric Science launches special issue on cloud studies

A new special issue of Advances in Atmospheric Science explores the effects of aerosols on climate, with studies focusing on aerosol-cloud interactions, cloud-base height, and fine aerosol particles. The research aims to improve weather forecasting and climate models, shedding light on a crucial topic despite years of inquiry.

SourceInstitute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences·JournalAdvances in Atmospheric Sciences·DateJan 9, 2018

Extreme fieldwork, climate modeling yields new insight into predicting Greenland's melt

A UCLA-led team used extreme fieldwork and climate modeling to unravel a meltwater mystery on Greenland's ice sheet. They discovered that sunlight penetrating into the ice causes subsurface melting and storage of meltwater, leading to discrepancies between models' estimates and real-time data.

SourceUniversity of California - Los Angeles·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateDec 8, 2017

Scientists find why CP El Niño is harder to predict than EP El Niño

Researchers Prof. Fei Zheng and Jin-Yi Yu found significant skill score differences between EP and CP El Niño events, with EP events better predicted at all lead times. This is attributed to systematic forecast biases and an overly warm eastern Pacific during the spring season for CP El Niño prediction.

SourceInstitute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences·JournalAdvances in Atmospheric Sciences·DateNov 22, 2017

Study reveals decadal variation of relationship between EA summer monsoon and ENSO

A study reveals multidecadal variations in the relationship between East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The research used a coupled climate model to investigate the decadal changes, finding that ENSO-related circulation anomalies drive precipitation patterns over East Asia.

Antarctica: Return of the Weddell polynya supports Kiel climate model

The Weddell Sea has formed a large ice-free area, supporting the Kiel climate model. This natural phenomenon plays a crucial role in sea ice formation and deep water circulation. Scientists closely monitor its occurrence to improve climate models and differentiate between natural variability and human-induced changes.

SourceHelmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR)·JournalCurrent Climate Change Reports·DateSep 29, 2017

Warming climate could increase bacterial impacts on Chesapeake Bay shellfish, recreation

Researchers found that warming climate conditions could lead to significant economic and healthcare costs due to increased occurrences of Vibrio bacteria in Chesapeake Bay. The study used a new downscaling framework to project future increases in Vibrio species, highlighting the need for models of climate impact on estuarine environments.

New hope for limiting warming to 1.5°C

Researchers from the University of Oxford and international partners found that achieving the Paris Agreement's goal of 1.5°C global warming requires more ambitious emission cuts than initially estimated. The study suggests that limiting total CO2 emissions to below 240 billion tonnes could achieve this goal.

SourceUniversity of Oxford·JournalNature Geoscience·DateSep 18, 2017

New model projects an increase in dust storms in the US

A new statistical model projects an increase in dust storms in the southern Great Plains from spring to fall in the late half of the 21st century due to reduced rainfall and increased land surface bareness. Climate change is also predicted to reduce dust activity in the northern Great Plains in spring during the same time period.

SourcePrinceton University·JournalScientific Reports·DateJul 17, 2017

Figuring out how fast Greenland is melting

A new study from University of Arizona scientists has analyzed Greenland's past temperatures to better understand the island's vast ice sheet melting. The research found that current temperatures are warmer than the 1930s, with a long-term trend for ever-higher surface temperatures.

SourceUniversity of Arizona·JournalThe Cryosphere·DateJul 5, 2017

This week from AGU: Remarkable 2016 storms caused massive Antarctic sea ice loss

A new study in Geophysical Research Letters finds that a series of unprecedented storms over the Southern Ocean likely caused the most dramatic decline in Antarctic sea ice seen to date. The extreme weather event led to significant losses of sea ice, with researchers suggesting that the storms' impact was exacerbated by climate change.

SourceAmerican Geophysical Union·JournalGeophysical Research Letters·DateJun 21, 2017

Improving adolescents' social and emotional lives must go beyond teaching them skills

Effective SEL programs focus on improving emotional environments, values, and mindsets rather than just teaching skills, according to UT Austin psychology assistant professor David Yeager. These approaches help teens find purpose in learning and communities, leading to improved academic performance and social-emotional well-being.

SourceUniversity of Texas at Austin·JournalThe Future of Children·DateJun 8, 2017