to Nature home page
home
search




Nature12 September 2002

 Climate and water

Climate and water

news feature
Scientific uncertainty: When doubt is a sure thing
JIM GILES
Is it possible to adopt a more rigorous approach to the communication of scientific uncertainty? Jim Giles talks to the climatologists whose pursuit of this goal has seen them dubbed the 'uncertainty cops'.
Nature 418, 476–478 (2002); doi:10.1038/418476a
| Full Text (HTML / PDF) |

news feature
Computer modelling: Our virtual planet
ROBERT TRIENDL
Japan's Earth Simulator supercomputer could provide the most accurate models yet of the planet's climate and geophysics — but there are obstacles to realizing that potential. Robert Triendl reports.
Nature 416, 579–580 (2002); doi:10.1038/416579a
| Full Text (HTML / PDF) |

article
Closing of the Indonesian seaway as a precursor to east African aridification around 3-4 million years ago
MARK A. CANE & PETER MOLNAR
Nature 411, 157–162 (2001); doi:10.1038/35075500
| Summary | Full Text (HTML / PDF) |

news and views
Climate change: The Indonesian valve
JAMES D. WRIGHT
The behaviour of the North Atlantic is often invoked to explain the effects of climate change. But for certain episodes, including perhaps a period in human evolution, events elsewhere may have had a greater influence.
Nature 411, 142–143 (2001); doi:10.1038/35075684
| Full Text (HTML / PDF) |


Asia dried Africa

review article
The role of the thermohaline circulation in abrupt climate change
PETER U. CLARK, NICKLAS G. PISIAS, THOMAS F. STOCKER & ANDREW J. WEAVER
Nature 415, 863–869 (2002); doi:10.1038/415863a
| Summary | Full Text (HTML / PDF) |

letters to nature
Quantifying the risk of extreme seasonal precipitation events in a changing climate
T. N. PALMER & J. R�IS�NEN
Nature 415, 512–514 (2002); doi:10.1038/415512a
| First Paragraph | Full Text (HTML / PDF) |

letters to nature
Increasing risk of great floods in a changing climate
P. C. D. MILLY, R. T. WETHERALD, K. A. DUNNE & T. L. DELWORTH
Nature 415, 514–517 (2002); doi:10.1038/415514a
| First Paragraph | Full Text (HTML / PDF) |

news and views
Climate science: The investment forecast
REINER SCHNUR
New studies predict that the risk of extreme rainfall over Europe and Asian monsoon regions is increasing, with more floods likely worldwide. Such long-range forecasting is pushing at the limit of current climate models.
Nature 415, 483–484 (2002); doi:10.1038/415483a
| Full Text (HTML / PDF) |


More floods to come

article
Scale dependence of bubble creation mechanisms in breaking waves
GRANT B. DEANE & M. DALE STOKES
Nature 418, 839–844 (2002); doi:10.1038/nature00967
| Summary | Full Text (HTML / PDF) |

news and views
Physical oceanography: Inside whitecaps
MARK LOEWEN
Innovative experiments have provided new insights into how bubbles are created by breaking waves. These findings might ultimately lead to more accurate models of global climate.
Nature 418, 830 (2002); doi:10.1038/418830a
| Full Text (HTML / PDF) |

brief communication
Climatology: Contrails reduce daily temperature range
DAVID J. TRAVIS, ANDREW M. CARLETON & RYAN G. LAURITSEN
A brief interval when the skies were clear of jets unmasked an effect on climate.
Nature 418, 601 (2002); doi:10.1038/418601a
| First Paragraph | Full Text (HTML / PDF) |


Vapour trails' effect confirmed

article
Climate and atmospheric history of the past 420,000 years from the Vostok ice core, Antarctica
J. R. PETIT, J. JOUZEL, D. RAYNAUD, N. I. BARKOV, J.-M. BARNOLA, I. BASILE, M. BENDER, J. CHAPPELLAZ, M. DAVIS, G. DELAYGUE, M. DELMOTTE, V. M. KOTLYAKOV, M. LEGRAND, V. Y. LIPENKOV, C. LORIUS, L. P�PIN, C. RITZ, E. SALTZMAN & M. STIEVENARD
Nature 399, 429–436 (1999); doi:10.1038/20859
| Summary | Full Text (HTML / PDF) |

news and views
Climate change: Cornucopia of ice core results
BERNHARD STAUFFER
Nature 399, 412–413 (1999); doi:10.1038/20807
| Full Text (HTML / PDF) |

news feature
The great ice mystery
JON COPLEY
Nature 408, 634–636 (2000); doi:10.1038/35047263
| Full Text (HTML / PDF) |

 

  
  � 2002 Nature Publishing Group