Editorial |
Featured
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News & Views |
High clouds and higher sensitivity
Observations, theory, and modelling reduce the uncertainty in high cloud feedbacks, suggesting a higher climate sensitivity than previously thought.
- Aiko Voigt
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Article
| Open AccessSynthesis of 13C-depleted organic matter from CO in a reducing early Martian atmosphere
Isotopically depleted organic matter reported in ancient sediments on Mars could have been synthesized from CO produced due to photolysis of CO2 in the early Martian atmosphere.
- Yuichiro Ueno
- , Johan A. Schmidt
- & Shohei Aoki
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Research Briefing |
Evidence of strong aerosol cooling implies great efficacy of marine cloud brightening
Aerosol–cloud interactions are the largest uncertainty in radiative forcing. We combined machine learning and long-term satellite observations to quantify aerosol fingerprints on tropical marine clouds, using degassing volcanic events in Hawaii as natural experiences, and found that cloud cover increased relatively by 50% in humid and stable atmosphere, leading to strong cooling radiative forcing.
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Article |
Greater climate sensitivity implied by anvil cloud thinning
Changes in anvil clouds with warming do not produce a negative feedback on climate sensitivity as previously thought, according to an ensemble of cloud-resolving models.
- Adam B. Sokol
- , Casey J. Wall
- & Dennis L. Hartmann
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Article
| Open AccessRapid Laurentide Ice Sheet growth preceding the Last Glacial Maximum due to summer snowfall
The size and shape of the North American ice sheet during the Last Glacial Maximum was set by atmospheric moisture transport feedbacks during summer, not by the geometry of the earlier intermediate-sized ice sheet, according to a coupled climate–ice sheet model.
- Lu Niu
- , Gregor Knorr
- & Gerrit Lohmann
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Article
| Open AccessSubstantial cooling effect from aerosol-induced increase in tropical marine cloud cover
Satellite observations from volcanic eruptions suggest that aerosols induce substantial cooling due to the reflectivity of increased tropical marine cloud cover, implying a high climate sensitivity.
- Ying Chen
- , Jim Haywood
- & Ulrike Lohmann
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Article
| Open AccessWeak anvil cloud area feedback suggested by physical and observational constraints
Tight physical and observational constraints suggest the anvil cloud area feedback is weak, but the anvil cloud albedo feedback remains highly uncertain.
- Brett McKim
- , Sandrine Bony
- & Jean-Louis Dufresne
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Article
| Open AccessDiurnal warming rectification in the tropical Pacific linked to sea surface temperature front
Daytime surface ocean warming has large-scale patterns associated with the sea surface temperature front, leading to an afternoon slackening of the front and impacts on surface wind variability.
- Meghan F. Cronin
- , Dongxiao Zhang
- & Nathan Anderson
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Article |
Recent pronounced warming on the Mongolian Plateau boosted by internal climate variability
Relatively strong warming over the Mongolian Plateau in recent decades can be explained, in part, by synchronous internal climate oscillations, according to climate model experiments.
- Qingyu Cai
- , Wen Chen
- & Xiaoqing Lan
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News & Views |
Cooling Himalayan glaciers
Three decades of meteorological observations show that Himalayan glaciers have been cooling because of intensified downslope winds, in contrast to the warming observed elsewhere in the region.
- Jesse Norris
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Article |
Atmospheric methane variability through the Last Glacial Maximum and deglaciation mainly controlled by tropical sources
Abrupt changes in atmospheric methane through the last deglaciation were largely the result of tropical sources responding to shifting rainfall patterns, according to a comparison of precisely dated ice cores in Greenland and Antarctica.
- Ben Riddell-Young
- , Julia Rosen
- & Thomas Blunier
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Article
| Open AccessRadiative forcing from aerosol–cloud interactions enhanced by large-scale circulation adjustments
Convection-permitting simulations suggest that the radiative impact of aerosol–cloud interactions is enhanced by adjustments to large-scale circulation, which increase cloudiness.
- Guy Dagan
- , Netta Yeheskel
- & Andrew I. L. Williams
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Article |
Climate variability a key driver of recent Antarctic ice-mass change
The Southern Annular Mode and ENSO are the main drivers of recent decadal variability in Antarctic ice mass, according to analysis of satellite-based gravimetric observations.
- Matt A. King
- , Kewei Lyu
- & Xuebin Zhang
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Editorial |
Healthier air, healthier planet
Air pollution is a leading cause of death globally. Efforts to clean the air will not only save lives but contribute to addressing broader environmental and socioeconomic challenges.
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Perspective |
Atmospheric new particle formation from the CERN CLOUD experiment
The CLOUD experiment provides important insights into new particle formation in different atmospheric environments.
- Jasper Kirkby
- , António Amorim
- & Douglas R. Worsnop
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Article
| Open AccessEarly Eocene low orography and high methane enhance Arctic warming via polar stratospheric clouds
Indirect forcing by low regional orography and high atmospheric methane levels contributed to the amplified Arctic temperatures in the early Eocene by enhancing polar stratospheric cloud formation, according to an atmospheric model with interactive chemistry.
- Deepashree Dutta
- , Martin Jucker
- & Jiang Zhu
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News & Views |
Blowing hot and cold
Measurements from a yearlong drift in sea ice across the Central Arctic show that large amounts of fine sea salt particles are produced during blowing snow events, affecting cloud properties and warming the surface.
- Lyatt Jaeglé
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Article
| Open AccessArctic warming by abundant fine sea salt aerosols from blowing snow
Fine sea salt aerosols produced by blowing snow in the Arctic impact cloud properties and warm the surface, according to observations from the MOSAiC expedition.
- Xianda Gong
- , Jiaoshi Zhang
- & Jian Wang
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Article |
Local surface cooling from afforestation amplified by lower aerosol pollution
Climate model simulations suggest that reducing aerosol pollution enhances the cooling effects of afforestation, which could partially counteract the warming effect of air quality measures.
- Jun Ge
- , Xin Huang
- & Weidong Guo
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Article
| Open AccessRecent global climate feedback controlled by Southern Ocean cooling
The temporal evolution of the net global climate feedback in recent decades has been governed by sea surface temperature patterns in the Southern Ocean, according to climate model simulations.
- Sarah M. Kang
- , Paulo Ceppi
- & In-Sik Kang
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Article
| Open AccessShortwave absorption by wildfire smoke dominated by dark brown carbon
Atmospheric short-wave absorption due to wildfire smoke is caused predominantly by dark brown carbon particles, according to observations from smoke plumes in the United States.
- Rajan K. Chakrabarty
- , Nishit J. Shetty
- & Rohan Mishra
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Comment |
Communicating the link between climate change and extreme rain events
Extreme rainfall events are often linked to climate change based on simple thermodynamic arguments, but complex dynamic processes also play a role. Scientists have a responsibility to ensure they provide accurate information to the media and public.
- Andrew D. King
- , Kimberley J. Reid
- & Kate R. Saunders
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Article
| Open AccessWidespread shallow mesoscale circulations observed in the trades
Atmospheric observations show the presence of shallow mesoscale circulations in the North Atlantic trades and demonstrate their widespread influence on atmospheric moisture and, consequently, clouds.
- Geet George
- , Bjorn Stevens
- & Ann Kristin Naumann
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Article
| Open AccessResponse of stratospheric water vapour to warming constrained by satellite observations
Uncertainty in stratospheric water vapour projections is reduced using an observational constraint based on historical co-variations between atmospheric temperature and water vapour.
- Peer Nowack
- , Paulo Ceppi
- & Manoj Joshi
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Article |
Record of pre-industrial atmospheric sulfate in continental interiors
Atmospheric sulfate aerosols—which could cool the atmosphere—were formed in less acidic cloud water in continental interiors in pre-industrial time than today, according to a triple oxygen isotope analysis of sulfate in weathering carbonates.
- Yongbo Peng
- , Shohei Hattori
- & Huiming Bao
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Article |
High natural nitric oxide emissions from lakes on Tibetan Plateau under rapid warming
High-resolution satellite observations reveal that large lakes on the Tibetan Plateau have total nitric oxide emissions comparable to anthropogenic emissions from individual megacities worldwide.
- Hao Kong
- , Jintai Lin
- & Wanyun Xu
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Article |
A primary magmatic source of nitrogen to Earth’s crust
The formation of continental crust may have trapped —and thus not degassed—substantial amounts of magmatic nitrogen over Earth’s history, according to geochemical analyses of igneous rocks from the Hekla volcanic system in Iceland.
- Toby J. Boocock
- , Sami Mikhail
- & Eva E. Stüeken
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Article
| Open AccessPositive correlation between wet-day frequency and intensity linked to universal precipitation drivers
Precipitation frequency and intensity across different geographic regions are positively correlated in reanalysis data and observations, suggesting universal precipitation-generating processes.
- Cameron McErlich
- , Adrian McDonald
- & Sapna Rana
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Article
| Open AccessDirect observation of Earth’s spectral long-wave feedback parameter
Earth’s spectral long-wave feedback parameter can be directly observed using satellite measurements, revealing the influence of relative humidity on climate feedbacks.
- Florian E. Roemer
- , Stefan A. Buehler
- & Viju O. John
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Research Briefing |
Underwater terraced deposits chronicle volcanic eruptions
Analogue experiments show that powerful eruption columns deliver material to the sea surface and seabed in periodic annular sedimentation waves. Depending on the water depth, the impact and spread of these waves at the sea surface and seabed can excite tsunamis, drive radial pyroclastic density currents, and build concentric terraces.
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Article |
Submarine terraced deposits linked to periodic collapse of caldera-forming eruption columns
Submarine terraced deposits of some caldera-forming explosive eruptions result from periodic collapses of the eruption column and can be used to estimate their source eruption rate, according to an analysis of such terraces and analogue experiments.
- Johan T. Gilchrist
- , A. Mark Jellinek
- & Sean Wanket
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News & Views |
A fly in the ozone and climate ointment
The Montreal Protocol has successfully guided the world’s transition from chlorofluorcarbons that deplete ozone to hydrofluorocarbons that pose no direct threat to the ozone layer. A study suggests that a recent rise in atmospheric chlorofluorcarbons is linked to the inadvertent release of these gases during the production of hydrofluorocarbons.
- Ross J. Salawitch
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Article |
Global increase of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons from 2010 to 2020
Levels of five chlorofluorocarbons rose in the atmosphere from 2010 to 2020 despite their production being banned by the Montreal Protocol, probably arising as by-products of hydrofluorocarbon production, according to analysis of abundance and emissions data.
- Luke M. Western
- , Martin K. Vollmer
- & Johannes C. Laube
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Article |
ENSO complexity controlled by zonal shifts in the Walker circulation
A simple conceptual model suggests that the complex behaviour of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation can be explained by zonal shifts in the Walker circulation.
- Sulian Thual
- & Boris Dewitte
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Article |
Rapid night-time nanoparticle growth in Delhi driven by biomass-burning emissions
Measurements suggest that emissions from biomass burning drive the rapid growth of particles from nanoscale into sizes relevant for haze formation during the night in Delhi.
- Suneeti Mishra
- , Sachchida Nand Tripathi
- & Andre S. H. Prevot
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Article
| Open AccessQuantifying the physical processes leading to atmospheric hot extremes at a global scale
The occurrence of extremely hot days around the globe is the result of a regionally varying mix of physical processes—advective, adiabatic and diabatic warming—that influence upstream air masses, according to an analysis of the backward trajectories of air contributing to hot extremes.
- Matthias Röthlisberger
- & Lukas Papritz
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Review Article |
Coupling and interactions across the Martian whole atmosphere system
Spacecraft observations and climate modelling have revealed how atmospheric waves, dust storms and atmospheric loss processes are coupled throughout the atmosphere of Mars.
- Erdal Yiğit
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News & Views |
Plants water the planet
Greening of the planet has increased global surface water availability, but vegetation changes can have diverse local and remote impacts across different regions.
- Arie Staal
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Perspective |
Potential impacts of atmospheric microplastics and nanoplastics on cloud formation processes
Microplastics and nanoplastics may affect cloud formation processes by acting as ice-nucleating particles and cloud condensation nuclei.
- Mischa Aeschlimann
- , Guangyu Li
- & Denise M. Mitrano
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Research Briefing |
Dust emission increases following large wildfires
Satellite measurements show that dust emission is enhanced following large wildfires, producing considerable dust loadings for days to weeks over normally dust-free regions. These sequential fire and dust extremes will likely become more frequent and severe under global warming, having increased societal and ecological impacts.
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Article |
Global water availability boosted by vegetation-driven changes in atmospheric moisture transport
Vegetation change over the past two decades has limited the decline in global water availability by enhancing rainfall over evapotranspiration, according to analysis of observation-based atmospheric moisture transport data.
- Jiangpeng Cui
- , Xu Lian
- & Shilong Piao
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Article |
Enhanced dust emission following large wildfires due to vegetation disturbance
Enhanced dust emissions are associated with more than half of the global large wildfire events occurring between 2003 and 2020, according to analyses of satellite measurements of aerosol abundance following more than 150,000 global wildfires.
- Yan Yu
- & Paul Ginoux
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Research Briefing |
Air temperature — not just ocean warming — affects submarine melting of Greenland glaciers
Melting of the edges of the Greenland ice sheet by the ocean since 1979 is — counterintuitively — controlled almost as much by air temperature as by ocean temperature.
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Article
| Open AccessLong-range predictability of extratropical climate and the length of day
Ensemble forecasts from a dynamical model suggest that fluctuations in atmospheric angular momentum and the length of day can be predicted over a year in advance, thereby providing a source of long-range climate predictability.
- A. A. Scaife
- , L. Hermanson
- & D. Smith
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Article
| Open AccessSubmarine melting of glaciers in Greenland amplified by atmospheric warming
Atmospheric variability can amplify ocean-driven submarine melting of marine-terminating glaciers in Greenland, according to an analysis of observations and models from 1979 to 2018.
- D. A. Slater
- & F. Straneo
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Article |
Substantial influence of vapour buoyancy on tropospheric air temperature and subtropical cloud
A combination of theory, reanalysis and model simulations suggests that tropospheric temperature and cloud cover are strongly influenced by vapour buoyancy, an effect currently neglected in some leading global climate models.
- Da Yang
- , Wenyu Zhou
- & Seth D. Seidel
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Brief Communication
| Open AccessSubstantial contribution of iodine to Arctic ozone destruction
Iodine chemistry plays a more important role than bromine chemistry in tropospheric ozone losses in the Arctic, according to ship-based observations of halogen oxides from March to October 2020.
- Nuria Benavent
- , Anoop S. Mahajan
- & Alfonso Saiz-Lopez
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Article |
Mid-Pliocene El Niño/Southern Oscillation suppressed by Pacific intertropical convergence zone shift
Suppressed El Niño/Southern Oscillation variability during the mid-Pliocene Warm Period was caused mainly by a northward displacement of the intertropical convergence zone, according to an analysis of a large ensemble of climate model simulations.
- Gabriel M. Pontes
- , Andréa S. Taschetto
- & Arthur M. Oldeman
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Comment |
Atmospheric impacts of the space industry require oversight
Rocket emissions and debris from spacecraft falling out of orbit are having increasingly detrimental effects on global atmospheric chemistry. Improved monitoring and regulation are urgently needed to create an environmentally sustainable space industry.
- Jamie D. Shutler
- , Xiaoyu Yan
- & Hitoshi Nasu