Articles tagged with Atmospheric Science
Researchers developed an AI framework that optimizes ship routes and speed profiles to reduce fuel consumption and peak air-pollutant exposure. The system achieved 20-35% improvement in optimization performance while reducing peak pollutant exposure by 34-78%.
Researchers analyzed nearly three decades of airborne radar observations to identify four features that aid vertically aligned storms in intensifying. These features include tight circulation near the sea surface and favorable wind orientation relative to wind shear.
Two remote Rossby wave trains converged to strengthen pressure gradients over northern China, driving the extreme wind event. The team found that these large-scale patterns were boosted by anomalous atmospheric circulation and enhanced winds in northern China.
A 300-million-year-old event shows that volcanic activity and orbital forcing combined to trigger rapid warming. The study reveals the importance of sustained orbital forcing in triggering positive climate-carbon cycle feedbacks, leading to massive carbon release and abrupt large-scale warming.
The 36th annual State of the Climate report reveals record highs in greenhouse gas concentrations, global sea level, and ocean heat content. Greenhouse gas concentrations reached a 53% increase from preindustrial levels, with fossil fuel emissions reaching a record high in 2025.
Researchers used earthquake-monitoring equipment to study hurricanes, revealing key details about storm evolution and intensification. Seismometers detected ground movements, while infrasound microphones monitored atmospheric pressure, providing valuable information on hurricane conditions.
Researchers identified a recurring setup of atmospheric conditions that lead to prolonged periods of intense rainfall. The study found that existing operational weather forecasts can capture these large-scale patterns, paving the way for more accurate predictions of high-impact southwest monsoon events.
New study finds replacing functioning gasoline vehicles with EVs reduces lifetime greenhouse gas emissions. Even a relatively new vehicle's scrappage and replacement with an EV can deliver substantial climate benefits.
The American Meteorological Society recognizes individuals and organizations making a positive difference in the world through fundamental research, public engagement, teaching, and informed decision-making. This year's honorees include Rong Fu, Paola Cessi, Sharon Nicholson, Renhe Zhang, Christian Kummerow, and David Thompson.
Biochar researchers explore how changing reactor atmospheres can tailor materials for carbon storage, pollution control, and industrial applications. Alternative gases like CO2, steam, and ammonia can shape the production process and resulting materials.
A new study by Duke University researchers found that atmospheric rivers contribute to marine heatwaves, with a strong association in winter months. The team's analysis of satellite data revealed that active atmospheric rivers often precede peak marine heatwave temperatures, suggesting a causal link.
Asteroid impact created a massive dust cloud that trapped heat, causing widespread wildfires and spontaneous combustion. The cloud led to population collapse and atmospheric contamination, ultimately killing most dinosaurs and other species.
Pastoral communities in Tiaty, Kenya, are adapting to climate variability by changing livestock patterns, farming practices, and settlement arrangements. These adaptations suggest a selective conversion of land from dense shrubland to mixed areas, with a focus on drought-tolerant crops and climate-resilient livestock species.
A new study from Stockholm University found that the most severe droughts in the ancient Eastern Mediterranean arose when multiple natural climate cycles coincided. This helped explain why the drought associated with the Late Bronze Age collapse were so severe, pushing societies beyond a critical hydroclimatic threshold.
Scientists have discovered that record-high Arctic stratospheric ozone levels observed in March 2024 were caused by exceptionally strong planetary waves, El Niño, and other large-scale climate oscillations. The study's findings highlight the growing importance of atmospheric dynamics in controlling Arctic ozone variability.
Researchers have developed a new metric to estimate air-conditioning and refrigeration energy demand, accounting for temperature and humidity. The study found that cooling efficiency has been declining by 2–4% per decade since 1971, with regions facing the steepest future increases in cooling demand expected in the Northwest, Great Lak...
Researchers analyzed the 2025 Texas Hill Country floods, which killed at least 135 people, including 28 at Camp Mystic. Experimental models showed they could have predicted extreme flows with greater lead time.
Scientists use commercially available surfing webcams to measure Oregon's coastal fog, revealing patchy fog patterns along 93 miles of coastline. The study found that airport measurements were a good indication of average monthly fog frequency, but surface weather conditions at the airport were not sufficient for real-time fog detection.
A recent study reveals a significant increase in desert dust pollution in southern Europe, with concentrations more than twice as high as in central and northern regions. The study also highlights the potential health risks of elevated desert dust levels, particularly for respiratory problems.
Researchers used experimental models to forecast 2025 Texas floods, which killed over 120 people. Models also project increased U.S. thunderstorm threat and severe weather season starts earlier in a warmer climate.
The study uses the upgraded GRAVITY+ instrument to measure the carbon isotope ratio in Beta Pic B's atmosphere, but finds inconsistent results that challenge its interpretation. The findings suggest that the planet may have formed outside the snowline, where CO was present as ice, rather than gas.
The University of Bath's Centre for Climate Adaptation & Environment Research has joined the STRIVE mission, a NASA Earth System Explorer project aiming to improve weather forecasting and climate modeling. The team will focus on understanding atmospheric waves and their impact on energy transport.
The American Meteorological Society (AMS) has released a statement expressing concerns about the proposed OMB rule on federal grantmaking changes. The rule could reduce public access to weather information, slow commercialization of advances in weather science, and limit scientific collaboration.
Researchers at Hiroshima University have applied black-box optimization algorithms to model rainfall minimization through weather control. They demonstrated that Bayesian optimization can effectively design weather interventions, even under a limited budget of expensive weather simulations, by optimizing only a small number of trials.
A new 3D algorithm detects atmospheric rivers over Antarctica, revealing their role in regulating snowfall variability and influencing sea-level rise. The study found that ARs accounted for 40% of total precipitation at Dome Fuji Station, highlighting their dominant impact on Antarctic climate.
Researchers found evidence of early ozone loss dating back to the late 1950s, linked to carbon tetrachloride use, in contrast to CFCs' later role. This discovery reveals that modern monitoring tools could have detected earlier signs of human-induced depletion.
A new study by Osaka Metropolitan University found that levoglucosan, a chemical formed from biomass combustion, loses up to 88% of its mass in the atmosphere due to degradation and volatilization. This suggests that conventional analyses may misidentify emission sources, particularly in tropical areas.
Scientists at Tampere University identified a new chemical process that can influence the formation of air pollution particles in urban environments. Nitric oxide is found to promote the conversion of certain volatile compounds into aerosol precursors, challenging existing assumptions.
New studies reveal potential for 30-day forecast accuracy boosts using machine learning and explore the impact of vegetation on ocean currents during the Little Ice Age. Researchers also find that La Niña events can slow global warming by amplifying each other's cooling effects.
A new study finds that approximately 15% of current global warming is attributed to 'indirect greenhouse gases,' including carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides. The authors call for integrating these gases into climate policy frameworks, emphasizing their significant impact on warming.
Researchers find that low-severity fires, such as prescribed burns, can significantly reduce the probability of very high severity wildfires for a decade. This reduction in smoke particulate pollution leads to cumulative benefits of up to 10% over a decade.
Climate change is expected to make historically rare tropical storms in Southern California produce significantly more precipitation, increasing landslide risk. Exposure to landslide risk will grow fastest among low-income households.
A new study from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem reveals that aerosol-cloud interactions can produce opposite climate effects in the short term and long term. In the short term, aerosols initially warm the atmosphere, but over time, the cooling effect takes over.
Research reveals a post-2015 increase in wildfire emissions has halted steady decreases in surface ozone trends in North America, leading to premature mortality and public health concerns. The study attributes an additional 318 deaths per year to wildfire-sourced ozone emissions, highlighting the need for stricter air quality standards.
Researchers propose a framework for on-demand atmospheric observations using lightweight, low-cost profiling systems to improve short-term forecasting and climate resilience. Community-operated systems could fill critical gaps in existing forecasting systems, particularly in remote regions.
Mangrove forests worldwide are no longer in net decline and are now growing overall, driven by natural regeneration and expansion. The research highlights a more hopeful trajectory for these ecosystems, which play a critical role in protecting coastlines and storing climate-warming carbon.
Researchers from Virginia Tech found that airborne particles have an outer alkaline shell, contradicting the traditional view of uniform droplets. This discovery has significant implications for understanding air quality and climate change.
A new study reveals that the Antarctic ice sheet responded sharply to climate change following a major shift in Earth's ice age cycles. The simulation found that below a critical atmospheric CO2 level, the amplitude of Antarctic ice variations increases in response to changes in temperatures.
Researchers at Tokyo Metropolitan University have identified a unique type of heat wave in Japan, known as 'moist heat waves,' which are accompanied by tropical cyclones and high humidity. These heat waves account for a quarter of the days surveyed and pose significant hazards due to extreme temperatures and torrential rain.
Researchers used JWST to observe WASP-94A b and found aerosols dominated by condensation-driven clouds. Clouds form on cooler side, circulate, and evaporate as they move into the hotter day side.
Researchers found that small-scale thunderstorms strengthen over cities, while cold frontal storms weaken their rainfall intensity. Urban heat and roughness disrupt the lower part of storm systems, leading to varying effects on different types of storms.
A team from Hokkaido University found that red auroras can extend to extremely high altitudes even during moderately intense storms, suggesting these storms may be stronger than conventional indices indicate. This could have implications for satellite operations and space weather forecasting.
Recent studies investigate the relationship between weather conditions and extreme events like heat-related mortality, tropical cyclone hazards, and changes in precipitation patterns. Researchers also explore new modeling methods to predict visually appealing atmospheric phenomena like 'ornamental twilight'.
PFAS contamination is linked to wastewater discharges and local industrial sources, but airborne transport may carry chemicals across long distances before returning to Earth. The research team identifies possible source regions and better understand how weather and atmospheric transport influence PFAS contamination.
A study by Dartmouth researchers shows that annual rainfall is increasingly concentrated into bigger and wetter storms with longer dry periods in between. This means less water is available for land, soil can only absorb so much at once, and what's not soaked up evaporates more readily.
Researchers from Colorado State University are investigating the effects of rain falling on snow in the Arctic, which can influence animal behavior and habitat quality. They aim to develop a snow modeling tool to better predict changes to the environment and support decision-making for communities that rely on wildlife.
Researchers identify a 'vertical conveyor' mechanism that transports moisture from the mid-latitudes to the Asian Water Towers through a process of nocturnal decoupling. This process integrates up to 30% of westerlies-advected moisture into the local cycle without precipitation, sustaining near-surface moisture accumulation.
Researchers from Columbia University have developed a theory explaining how carbon dioxide cools the stratosphere, even as it warms Earth's surface and lower atmosphere. The study reveals that CO2 molecules interact with infrared light in a specific 'Goldilocks zone' that expands with increasing atmospheric CO2 levels.
Researchers discovered a 'hydraulic jump' causing massive cloud waves on Venus, connected to the planet's superrotation and sulfuric acid vapor. This phenomenon may also impact future Mars missions, with potential implications for planetary exploration.
A team of researchers proposes that Dante Alighieri's Inferno was a gedankenexperiment in impact physics, modelling a planetary impact 500 years before modern meteoritics. The study suggests that Satan's fall from grace was inspired by the physical effects of a high-velocity impactor hitting the Earth's surface.
A new study reveals Antarctica's sea ice collapse is driven by a triple whammy of climate chaos, resulting in record-breaking lows. The Southern Ocean's transformation led to the loss of vast areas of ice equivalent to Greenland, destabilizing global ocean currents and accelerating global warming.
Researchers use Swarm satellites and ground-based observations to distinguish between space weather effects and natural hazard signatures. This project aims to improve infrastructure protection, early warning systems, and space weather predictions.
A new study by the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research has found that the biological productivity of the Southern Ocean is substantially greater than previously estimated. This discovery has significant implications for our understanding of the global carbon cycle and the marine food web.
A new study reveals that climate models are less confident in predicting regional rainfall patterns due to uncertainties in large-scale wind patterns. This limits confidence in forecasts of floods and droughts, particularly in regions vulnerable to these events.
New high-altitude measurements have revealed a hidden population of extremely small, organic-rich aerosol particles in the lower stratosphere. These ultrafine aerosols are found to dominate the surface area available for heterogeneous atmospheric chemistry and act as a significant condensation sink.
Researchers have forecasted a super El Niño event toward the end of 2026, driven by a rare and extreme surface annular warming pattern in the tropical Pacific. The current heat content buildup alone would generate a moderate El Niño, but adding the influence of annular warming intensifies it into the super category.
Scientists calculate that high leakages of ozone-depleting substances from feedstocks could delay ozone recovery by about seven years. The Montreal Protocol made an exception for the use of these substances in producing other materials, but recent estimates suggest higher leakage rates than initially thought.
New research from the American Meteorological Society explores AI forecasting limits, the impact of climate change on hurricane trends, and simplifies the heat index. The studies find that machine learning can outperform numerical physics-based models in certain conditions, but not universally.
Contrails still form under modern 'lean-burn' aircraft engines, defying scientists' hopes that reducing soot emissions would limit their formation and warming effect. Researchers combined real-world measurements with advanced modeling to understand contrail formation under modern engine conditions.
Researchers at Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo and George Mason University developed a new method called Lagged Ensemble Analog Sub-selection (LEAS) to improve air temperature forecasts one to five weeks in advance. This approach selectively retains past ensemble members with high predictive skill, improving fo...