Featured
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Longwave radiative effect of the cloud twilight zone
The transitional state between cloudy and clear skies, known as the twilight zone, has a substantial effect on the atmospheric energy budget, according to an analysis of cloud fields using global satellite observations.
- Eshkol Eytan
- , Ilan Koren
- & Ayala Ronen
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Article |
Global nitrous acid emissions and levels of regional oxidants enhanced by wildfires
Satellite observations reveal that fresh wildfire plumes are a globally important source of nitrous acid, enhancing oxidative plume chemistry and regional ozone levels.
- N. Theys
- , R. Volkamer
- & M. Van Roozendael
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Article |
Widespread biomass burning smoke throughout the remote troposphere
Aerosol particles produced by biomass burning are ubiquitous in the remote troposphere, according to global airborne measurements over remote ocean regions.
- G. P. Schill
- , K. D. Froyd
- & D. M. Murphy
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Article |
Artificial intelligence reconstructs missing climate information
An artificial intelligence-based method may infill gaps in historical temperature data more effectively than conventional techniques. Application of this method reveals a stronger global warming trend between 1850 and 2018 than estimated previously.
- Christopher Kadow
- , David Matthew Hall
- & Uwe Ulbrich
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Article |
Amplified transboundary transport of haze by aerosol–boundary layer interaction in China
Secondary air pollution events are enhanced in the Yangtze River delta, China, due to the interaction of long-range transport and aerosol–boundary layer feedback, according to a combination of observations and simulations of haze events from 2013 to 2018.
- Xin Huang
- , Aijun Ding
- & Congbin Fu
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Article |
Changes in Northern Hemisphere temperature variability shaped by regional warming patterns
Regional warming patterns control temperature variance and skewness changes in the Northern Hemisphere, suggests analysis of tracked temperature anomalies.
- Talia Tamarin-Brodsky
- , Kevin Hodges
- & Theodore G. Shepherd
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Article |
Changes in atmospheric shortwave absorption as important driver of dimming and brightening
Changes in the atmospheric absorption of shortwave radiation, probably through cloud and aerosol effects, is the main reason for the dimming and brightening over China and Europe in past decades, according to co-located surface and space observations.
- M. Schwarz
- , D. Folini
- & M. Wild
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Perspective |
Manifestations and mechanisms of the Karakoram glacier Anomaly
Glaciers in the Karakoram region, with their balanced or slightly positive mass balance, stand out from global glacier shrinkage, but this anomaly is not expected to persist in the long term, according to an overview of the possible explanations.
- Daniel Farinotti
- , Walter W. Immerzeel
- & Amaury Dehecq
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Article |
The influence of the stratospheric Quasi-Biennial Oscillation on trace gas levels at the Earth’s surface
Interannual variations of long-lived trace gas mole fractions at the Earth’s surface are primarily driven by the stratospheric Quasi-Biennial Oscillation, according to surface measurements and model simulations. Ignoring this variability may induce errors in estimating emissions of trace gases.
- Eric A. Ray
- , Robert W. Portmann
- & Karen H. Rosenlof
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West Antarctic surface melt triggered by atmospheric rivers
Atmospheric rivers associated with blocking events are related to a large fraction of the surface ice melt events in West Antarctica, suggest observation-based analyses of atmospheric dynamics and West Antarctic surface melt.
- Jonathan D. Wille
- , Vincent Favier
- & Francis Codron
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News & Views |
Peatlands as prolific carbon sinks
Northern peatlands store over 1,000 Gt of carbon, almost double previous estimates, according to a new analysis of peat core data. The fate of this peat carbon, however, is uncertain in a rapidly changing world.
- Matthew J. Amesbury
- , Angela Gallego-Sala
- & Julie Loisel
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Matters Arising |
Reply to: Complexities between plants and the atmosphere
- A. Rap
- , C. E. Scott
- & D. V. Spracklen
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Comment |
Emerging Asian aerosol patterns
The climate of South and East Asia is affected by anthropogenic aerosols, but the magnitude of the aerosol imprint is not well known. As regional emissions are rapidly changing, potential related climate risks must be quantified.
- Bjørn H. Samset
- , Marianne T. Lund
- & Laura Wilcox
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Perspective |
Challenges for the recovery of the ozone layer
Recovery of the stratospheric ozone layer above Antarctica has not been straightforward, as a result of human activities and climate change. The recovery process might be delayed by up to decades if further mitigation actions are not taken.
- Xuekun Fang
- , John A. Pyle
- & Ronald G. Prinn
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Last phase of the Little Ice Age forced by volcanic eruptions
Large volcanic eruptions in the first half of the nineteenth century blurred the transition from the Little Ice Age to anthropogenic warming, and led to sustained cooling, drought in Africa and weakened monsoons, suggests a combination of observations and model simulations.
- Stefan Brönnimann
- , Jörg Franke
- & Christoph C. Raible
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Ammonium nitrate particles formed in upper troposphere from ground ammonia sources during Asian monsoons
Solid ammonium nitrate particles are formed in the upper troposphere during the Asian monsoons, which bring large amounts of ground ammonia to this altitude, according to integrated analyses of measurements on ammoniated aerosol, together with model simulations.
- Michael Höpfner
- , Jörn Ungermann
- & Ingo Wohltmann
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Decadal predictability of late winter precipitation in western Europe through an ocean–jet stream connection
Decadal averages of March precipitation in western Europe can be predicted by exploiting links with the jet stream and ocean along with skilful predictions of sea surface temperatures, according to an analysis of observations and reanalysis products.
- Isla R. Simpson
- , Stephen G. Yeager
- & Clara Deser
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Article |
Common cause for severe droughts in South America and marine heatwaves in the South Atlantic
Droughts in South America and marine heatwaves in the South Atlantic have a common remote cause, convection in the tropical oceans that triggers atmospheric blocking, suggest analyses of observations.
- Regina R. Rodrigues
- , Andréa S. Taschetto
- & Gregory R. Foltz
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Article |
Ice nucleation by aerosols from anthropogenic pollution
Polluted continental aerosols contain a considerable fraction of ice nucleating particles, suggest analyses of satellite observations and simulations with cloud-resolving models.
- Bin Zhao
- , Yuan Wang
- & Yuk L. Yung
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Editorial |
Cleaner air for China
China’s rigorous air-pollution control has greatly reduced the levels of fine particles in the atmosphere. Further progress for air quality more broadly will rely on fully accounting for complex chemical reactions between pollutants.
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Article |
Opposite tropical circulation trends in climate models and in reanalyses
The Hadley circulation has been weakening over the past 40 years, as simulated by climate models, and not strengthening as found in observation-based reanalyses, suggests an analysis of both methods that points to artefacts in the reanalyses.
- Rei Chemke
- & Lorenzo M. Polvani
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Article |
Arctic sea-ice variability is primarily driven by atmospheric temperature fluctuations
Atmospheric temperature fluctuations are the main influence on Arctic sea-ice variability, whereas other factors explain only 25% of variability, according to an analysis of Earth system model simulations.
- Dirk Olonscheck
- , Thorsten Mauritsen
- & Dirk Notz
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Article |
Higher frequency of Central Pacific El Niño events in recent decades relative to past centuries
Compared to the past few centuries, Central Pacific El Niño events have become more frequent, whereas the number of Eastern Pacific events has declined in the most recent decades, according to reconstructions from a network of seasonally resolved coral records.
- Mandy B. Freund
- , Benjamin J. Henley
- & Dietmar Dommenget
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Article |
Glacially sourced dust as a potentially significant source of ice nucleating particles
Dusts from glaciers may contribute significantly to ice nucleation in Arctic low-level clouds, according to analyses of glacial outwash sediments in Svalbard.
- Yutaka Tobo
- , Kouji Adachi
- & Makoto Koike
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Possible climate transitions from breakup of stratocumulus decks under greenhouse warming
Stratocumulus cloud decks—which cool the Earth’s surface by shading it from sunlight, and are prevalent in the subtropics—break up into scattered clouds when CO2 levels rise above 1,200 ppm in large-eddy simulations that explicitly resolve cloud dynamics.
- Tapio Schneider
- , Colleen M. Kaul
- & Kyle G. Pressel
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Insignificant influence of the 11-year solar cycle on the North Atlantic Oscillation
Any influence of the 11-year solar cycle on the North Atlantic Oscillation is insignificant, and could have been a chance occurrence, suggest analyses of the instrumental record and of chemistry–climate model simulations.
- Gabriel Chiodo
- , Jessica Oehrlein
- & Anne K. Smith
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News & Views |
Anthropogenic chlorine under watch
Atmospheric levels of chloroform, an ozone-depleting substance not part of the Montreal Protocol, have risen. The increase may be attributable to industrial emissions in Eastern China.
- Susann Tegtmeier
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Article |
Rapid increase in ozone-depleting chloroform emissions from China
Atmospheric levels of chloroform increased after 2010, as a result of emissions in eastern China, according to analyses of measurements and inverse modelling.
- Xuekun Fang
- , Sunyoung Park
- & Ronald G. Prinn
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Editorial |
Deaths versus dollars
Past and future changes in tropical cyclones and the damage they cause are fiendishly difficult to detect and project. For the Atlantic, progress is being made; other ocean basins lag behind.
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Review Article |
Role of air-mass transformations in exchange between the Arctic and mid-latitudes
Understanding the thermodynamics of air-mass transformations that occur in the atmosphere at the boundary between the Arctic and mid-latitudes is key to improving weather and climate predictions, according to a literature synthesis
- Felix Pithan
- , Gunilla Svensson
- & Manfred Wendisch
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Article |
Climatic and volcanic forcing of tropical belt northern boundary over the past 800 years
Climate variability and volcanic forcing both influenced the latitudinal migration of the tropical belt over the past 800 years, according to an analysis of tree-ring widths in the Northern Hemisphere.
- R. Alfaro-Sánchez
- , H. Nguyen
- & V. Trouet
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Concomitant variability in high-latitude aerosols, water isotopes and the hydrologic cycle
On timescales of centuries and longer, aerosol concentrations in Antarctic ice are controlled by changes in the nature of mid- and high-latitude precipitation, according to analyses of palaeoclimate data.
- Bradley R. Markle
- , Eric J. Steig
- & Joseph R. McConnell
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News & Views |
Icy grip on glacial monsoon
The Laurentide Ice Sheet sapped the strength of the North American monsoon during the last ice age, but the ice sheet’s grip on the monsoon weakened as it retreated northwards.
- Sarah E. Metcalfe
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Ice-sheet modulation of deglacial North American monsoon intensification
The intensity of the North American summer monsoon was modified by changes in the extent of the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the Last Glacial Maximum and subsequent deglaciation, according to isotope records and numerical simulations.
- Tripti Bhattacharya
- , Jessica E. Tierney
- & James W. Murray
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Enhanced global primary production by biogenic aerosol via diffuse radiation fertilization
Biogenic aerosols produced by terrestrial vegetation substantially enhance global primary productivity of plants, according to integrated model analyses.
- A. Rap
- , C. E. Scott
- & D. V. Spracklen
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Major secondary aerosol formation in southern African open biomass burning plumes
A substantial amount of secondary aerosols form within hours of biomass burning in southern African savannah and grassland fires, according to analyses of 5.5 years of continuous field measurements.
- Ville Vakkari
- , Johan P. Beukes
- & Pieter G. van Zyl
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Review Article |
Global energetics and local physics as drivers of past, present and future monsoons
The creation of an energetic framework for monsoon systems is needed to fully understand past and future variations in tropical rainfall, according to a literature review.
- Michela Biasutti
- , Aiko Voigt
- & Shang-Ping Xie
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Comment |
No progress on diversity in 40 years
Ethnic and racial diversity are extremely low among United States citizens and permanent residents who earned doctorates in earth, atmospheric and ocean sciences. Worse, there has been little to no improvement over the past four decades.
- Rachel E. Bernard
- & Emily H. G. Cooperdock
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Observationally derived rise in methane surface forcing mediated by water vapour trends
Observations of the radiative forcing from methane at the Earth’s surface are influenced by absorption effects from water vapour, according to spectroscopic measurements and line-by-line calculations.
- D. R. Feldman
- , W. D. Collins
- & M. S. Torn
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Discrepancy between simulated and observed ethane and propane levels explained by underestimated fossil emissions
Observations of ethane and propane distributions in the atmosphere are reproduced in simulations with an atmospheric chemistry transport model, if fossil emissions are a factor of two to three higher than previously assumed.
- Stig B. Dalsøren
- , Gunnar Myhre
- & Markus Wallasch
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Perspective |
Consistency and discrepancy in the atmospheric response to Arctic sea-ice loss across climate models
Changes in Northern Hemisphere atmospheric temperature, pressure patterns and winds emerge as a consistent response to Arctic sea-ice loss in six coupled climate models.
- James A. Screen
- , Clara Deser
- & Lantao Sun
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Role of polar anticyclones and mid-latitude cyclones for Arctic summertime sea-ice melting
Variability of summertime Arctic sea-ice reduction is closely linked to transient Arctic anticyclones, which result from air mass injections into the Arctic upper troposphere associated with extratropical cyclones.
- Heini Wernli
- & Lukas Papritz
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Response of Pacific-sector Antarctic ice shelves to the El Niño/Southern Oscillation
Ice-shelf mass in the Amundsen Sea is influenced by El Niño events and other interannual climate variability, according to an analysis of satellite altimeter data from 1994 to 2017.
- F. S. Paolo
- , L. Padman
- & M. R. Siegfried
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News & Views |
Slow warming and the ocean see-saw
The slowdown in surface warming in the early twenty-first century has been traced to strengthening of the Pacific trade winds. The search for the causes identifies a planetary-scale see-saw of atmosphere and ocean between the Atlantic and Pacific basins.
- Yu Kosaka
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Comment |
Atmospheric science looks to Venus
Making sense of exoplanet observations requires better understanding of terrestrial atmospheres in our solar system, especially for Venus. We need to not just intermittently explore, but continuously monitor these atmospheres — like we do for Earth.
- Kevin McGouldrick
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Southward shift of the global wind energy resource under high carbon dioxide emissions
Wind power for energy generation is projected to decrease in northern mid-latitudes and increase in the tropics and Southern Hemisphere, suggests an analysis of climate model simulations utilizing an industry wind turbine power curve.
- Kristopher B. Karnauskas
- , Julie K. Lundquist
- & Lei Zhang