Research on clouds and the atmosphere. Covers Southern Ocean clouds, ocean-derived aerosols, sea-ice cloud formation, and dust after impacts.
A new study reveals that low-level stratiform clouds appear to dissipate as the ocean warms, indicating that changes in these clouds may enhance global warming. The research also suggests a critical role for weakening trade winds in reducing cloudiness.
Two NASA satellites captured images of the weakening tropical storm Dolores, which has faded into a remnant low pressure area. The storms' winds and clouds were tracked using QuikScat and CloudSat, revealing intense rainfall and towering cloud formations.
The NCAR system combines satellite data, computer weather models, and AI techniques to identify rapidly evolving storms and potential areas of turbulence. Pilots on selected transoceanic routes will receive real-time turbulence updates, providing critical situational awareness.
Scientists are using the novel AMISR system to investigate interaction between upper atmospheric phenomena and lower atmospheric storms. The system provides a unique perspective for studying climate change and other processes linked to energy transfer from the sun to Earth's atmosphere.
Scientists have discovered new ways to measure thundercloud electrostatic fields, study the link between tropical cyclones and global warming, and understand the adhesive properties of lunar dust. Researchers also explored the role of clouds in global electricity and found significant water storage and runoff patterns in the Amazon basin.
Researchers are using a novel 'cloud tomography' approach to reconstruct three-dimensional cloud structure. The team will use a network of sensors to probe clouds' thermal emission and measure other characteristics, providing insights into the role of clouds in regulating Earth's radiation energy budget.
A team of UC San Diego-led researchers made the first-ever direct detection of biological particles within ice clouds. Analysis revealed that half were mineral dust and about a third contained nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon, the signature elements of biological matter.
Recent studies analyze global warming trends, exploring decadal cooling periods and long-term climate change. Scientists also investigate recent solar radiation changes, finding complex mechanisms behind 'global dimming' and 'brightening.' Analysis of the Dust Bowl's atmospheric circulation reveals potential links to Midwest droughts.
Lead from human activities causes clouds to form at warmer temperatures with less water, altering rain and snow patterns. The presence of lead also changes the distribution and density of clouds, affecting the amount of earth's heat that escapes into space.
Researchers discovered a five-sided ice chain structure, building from pentagon-shaped rings, which challenges the commonly seen hexagonal structures of ice formations. This finding could lead to new materials for seeding clouds and causing rain, improving weather modification techniques.
Researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory used Nimbus cloud computing infrastructure to dynamically provision virtual clusters on commercial cloud computers, enabling faster simulation results for the Quark Matter physics conference. The successful collaboration demonstrates the potential of virtualization and cloud computing for r...
The US and Portugal have signed an agreement to launch a portable climate observatory on Graciosa Island in the Azores, which will measure cloud and aerosol properties for 20 months. This study aims to enhance scientific understanding of low-level marine clouds and improve climate models.
A novel system enables high energy physicists at CERN to integrate their existing pool of distributed computers with dynamic resources in science clouds. The integration uses the Nimbus Context Broker and CernVM technology, allowing researchers to dynamically deploy virtual machines on remote resources.
Researchers at the London Centre for Nanotechnology have discovered a novel one-dimensional ice chain structure built entirely from pentagons, challenging the long-held assumption that hexagons are the building blocks of ice. This discovery has significant implications for understanding hydrogen bonding at interfaces and may lead to ne...
Researchers have developed a computer model that replicates the growth of snow crystals in rich three-dimensional detail. The model, which can generate all types of snowflakes, is significant because it helps scientists better understand and predict how snowflakes form in clouds.
The NASA Hurricane Web Page offers daily storm updates, stunning video animations, educational tools, and historic storm information on all storms since 2005. Researchers gather data from various satellites to understand factors that determine why a tropical cyclone strengthens or weakens.
Researchers are exploring petascale computing to model complex systems like severe storms, enabling better prediction and potentially saving lives. The technology will also facilitate the analysis of large datasets in fields such as high-energy physics.
The report highlights the importance of aerosol research in predicting Earth's future climate. Scientists need a better understanding of how aerosols affect climate to narrow down temperature increase uncertainty by nearly two-thirds.
The US Department of Energy is providing funding for four field studies on climate research, with a focus on clouds and aerosols. The studies aim to improve computer models simulating climate change by gathering data on various cloud types and their interactions with radiation and aerosols.
A team of 20 cloud and climate experts will investigate how Pacific clouds affect global climate and weather, including the UK. They aim to reduce errors in climate models by understanding how these clouds form and interact with the atmosphere.
Scientists from 40 institutions participate in an international field experiment to collect real-time data on the southeastern Pacific's climate system. The study aims to improve global climate models and better predict Earth's climate.
Scientists have discovered that aerosols can increase rainfall by providing condensation nuclei for cloud droplets. Moderate quantities of aerosols lead to more rain as they control the distribution of energy in the atmosphere and influence the formation of clouds.
A new study suggests that air pollution can both increase and decrease rainfall, depending on local environmental conditions. The research, led by Prof. Daniel Rosenfeld of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, found that aerosol particles in the air can affect cloud formation and precipitation patterns.
A team of scientists has developed a new framework to better account for the impact of aerosols on precipitation in climate models. The study suggests that increased aerosol loading may lead to changes in precipitation patterns, affecting regional water resources and global climate systems.
The CLOUD experiment aims to understand the role of cosmic rays in cloud formation and climate change. By simulating cosmic ray intensity, researchers plan to uncover details of aerosol and cloud formation mechanisms.
Researchers developed an analytical model to explain how aerosols influence cloud development and coverage. The study found that human-caused aerosols can increase or decrease cloud cover, depending on the region and time.
Researchers found that active fire suppression may have reduced carbon storage in western US forests, while a new tracking method revealed the paths of giant volcanic clouds. Additionally, scientists warn of increased frost risks to plants due to changes in temperature fluctuations and average temperatures in a warming climate.
Researchers have created an instrument designed to determine the shapes and sizes of tiny ice crystals in high-altitude clouds down to the micron level. This data is expected to help improve computer models used to predict climate change by better understanding the influence of clouds on global warming or cooling.
The Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) is scheduled to launch on a United Launch Alliance's Delta II Heavy rocket on June 11. The launch window opens at 11:45 a.m.-1:40 p.m. EDT, pending weather conditions. GLAST will survey the universe over an energy range of 20 million electron volts to over 300 billion electron volts.
Scientists use A-Train sensors to find that polluted clouds in South America produce less rain during dry season. The study suggests aerosol pollution suppresses rainfall due to smaller ice particles not growing large enough to fall as rain.
Researchers will discuss climate models, air pollution, ozone levels, and their impact on regions like California, Texas, and the southeastern United States. Scientists also explore long-range transport of pollutants from Europe to Africa and the Near East.
Researchers found that arable land and steppe-formation processes can significantly affect global air quality, as evidenced by a dust cloud from southern Ukraine that caused extreme particulate matter concentrations in Central Europe. The study highlights the need for better understanding of dust transport and formation processes, part...
Large brown seaweeds release inorganic iodine when stressed, contributing to cloud formation and altering coastal climate. This process may lead to 'thicker' clouds with reduced rainfall and a moodier coastal skyline.
A new study by NCAR and CSU finds that unusually sunny weather contributed to last summer's record loss of Arctic sea ice. The research suggests that warmth from the Sun will increasingly affect Arctic sea ice loss in the summer.
A team of Penn State paleoclimatologists found that a lack of cloud cover led to pre-human supergreenhouse periods during the Cetaceous and Eocene. By altering the Earth's albedo through changes in cloud cover, the researchers were able to recreate temperature regimes with mean annual temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
A new study published in Environmental Research Letters finds no correlation between cosmic rays and cloud cover, contradicting a 2007 TV program that suggested global warming is caused by a decrease in cosmic rays. The researchers from Lancaster and Durham Universities analyzed data and found no reliable connection between the two.
A team of researchers has developed a unified theory of lightning discharges, explaining how different types of lightning form. The study reveals that blue jets and bolts from the blue are triggered by specific charge imbalances in clouds, with the height of the cloud influencing their formation.
Research into giant perturbations on Jupiter reveals that jet streams go deep into the planet's atmosphere, with storms forming among deepest clouds. The team used a combination of telescopes to observe the phenomenon, finding surprising similarities with previous cases.
Researchers from NCAR and UCAR present over 100 papers on climate change, including connections between hurricanes and climate, economic value of weather forecasting, and impact on aviation. The study highlights the importance of accurate and timely weather forecasts for everyday life.
A team of astronomers has figured out what alien astronomers might see when studying Earth using current and future telescopes. They found that a great deal of information about a planet can be gleaned from its brightness and color changes over time, revealing its rotation rate and weather systems.
The AIM satellite has provided the first global-scale, full-season view of iridescent polar clouds that form 50 miles above Earth's surface. The clouds consist of ice crystals formed when water vapor condenses onto dust particles in these coldest regions of our planet.
Researchers from the University of the Basque Country have published two articles in Nature on their findings about the atmosphere, climate and weather patterns of Venus. The studies revealed the presence of a double vortex at the South Pole, which is similar to those found on Earth's polar regions.
A team of astronomers at UC Berkeley reports a nearly global cloud cover and morning drizzle of methane over Titan's western foothills. The drizzle may be caused by processes similar to those on Earth, with moisture-laden clouds pushed upslope by winds condensing to form a coastal rain.
Astronomers have found persistent morning drizzle of methane over the western foothills of Titan's major continent, Xanadu. The discovery suggests that moisture-laden clouds pushed upslope by winds condense to form a coastal rain, with the drizzle dissipating after local mid-morning.
Researchers at Ohio State University found that summer nighttime low temperatures in Ohio have risen by about 1.7 degrees Celsius (about 3 degrees Fahrenheit) since the 1960s, mainly due to increased humidity and cloud cover. This warming trend is expected to affect the state's climate, with a typical summer night being 20 degrees Fahr...
Scientists at the University of Chicago have found that Titan's climate is analogous to Earth's tropics, with methane clouds and a tropical weather system. The moon's slow rotation rate and atmosphere produce an updraft that lifts evaporated methane into clouds, similar to Earth's ITCZ.
A new turbulence detection system using NEXRAD Doppler radars provides real-time snapshots of turbulence to pilots, helping them avoid hazardous areas. The system's accuracy is reported to be high, with pilots praising its ability to provide accurate information about turbulence location and intensity.
Scientists say polar ice clouds could be a symptom of climate change due to increased carbon dioxide in the lower atmosphere causing cooling in the upper atmosphere. Noctilucent clouds form under conditions that counter common logic, only forming in summer when solar radiation is most intense.
The Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) satellite has captured the first occurrence of mysterious iridescent polar clouds. The clouds form during the Northern Hemisphere's summer season and are being seen more frequently at lower latitudes than ever before. Preliminary information suggests a connection with global climate change.
A CU-Boulder team is part of a massive field campaign studying tropical storms' impact on global warming and stratospheric ozone depletion. The team will use three NASA aircraft, seven satellites, and other instruments to collect data on chemical compounds, high-altitude clouds, and their influence on the Earth's radiation budget.
A NASA airborne expedition will investigate how chemical compounds are transported into the stratosphere, affecting cloud formation and climate. The mission aims to document the life cycle of widespread clouds and understand their impact on a warming climate.
The Three Gorges Dam in China is shrinking the Yangtze delta due to sediment retention. Meanwhile, a new model suggests that massive methane releases from Arctic permafrost are unlikely in this century. Satellite data also reveals complex flood wave patterns in the Amazon River, which can improve hazard identification. Additionally, hi...
Computer simulations of Hurricane Bonnie's movement show that pockets of warm humid air flowing from the hurricane's eye to its ring of thunderstorms boost energy, increasing storm strength. This 'turbocharger' effect helps hurricanes remain intense despite weakening influences like cooler ocean temperatures and wind shear.
A recent experiment confirmed what NASA satellites are telling us about how changes in clouds can affect climate in the coldest regions on Earth. Researchers found extremely high ice water content in snowstorms and embedded layers of liquid water in very cold multi-layer cloud systems.
The PACDEX project will study plumes of airborne dust and pollutants from Asia to North America, exploring their effects on clouds, precipitation, and climate. The team aims to determine how particles influence clouds and climate, shedding light on one major environmental issue of this decade.
The Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) spacecraft aims to probe mysterious polar mesospheric clouds that dot the edge of space, providing insight into climate change indicators. The mission will analyze cloud formation, size, and composition using three instruments.
A satellite carrying CU-Boulder instruments will probe noctilucent clouds forming 50 miles above Earth's polar regions every year. The mission aims to determine why these clouds form and how they change, potentially linked to human activity.
A new NASA study finds that Earth's 'sunscreen' of aerosols has declined since the early 1990s, which could have given a boost to global warming. The finding sheds light on recent climate change trends and may lead to improved understanding of the forces at work.
Scientists have discovered a new species of clouded leopard found only in Borneo and Sumatra, characterized by distinct physical features. The genetic analysis revealed significant differences between the two species, with around 40 nucleotide variations, suggesting divergence around 1.4 million years ago.
Research by a Chinese-Israeli team shows that air pollution significantly reduces precipitation on mountains in semi-arid regions, highlighting the dire consequences for water resources in the Middle East and worldwide. The study found that increasing levels of manmade air pollution have led to a 20% decrease in precipitation on Mount ...