Articles in 2013

The Northern Hemisphere has seen record declines in the summer sea-ice and snow cover at high latitudes, as well as a recent increase in extreme summer events at mid latitudes. The connection between these has been unclear; however, changes in atmospheric circulation attributable to the reduced cryosphere are now shown to be linked to the summer extremes.

Climate change is expected to strengthen the hydrological cycle but this is yet to be conclusively shown. Satellite observations are used to investigate changes in terrestrial evaporation, indicating increases at northern latitudes that are in line with expectations. However, global multidecadal variability is dominated by El Niño/Southern Oscillation cycles.

The tropical monsoon is thought to play a key role in glacier change in High Asia. The mass balance of a glacier in the southern Tibetan Plateau is found to be due to May/June precipitation, which is controlled by mid-latitude climate and the tropical monsoon. Further attention should be paid to mid-latitude climate to understand glacier changes.

The combination of climatic warming and wetting can increase the CO₂ sink strength of High Arctic semi-deserts by an order of magnitude, according to a long-term climate manipulation experiment in northwest Greenland. These findings indicate that parts of the High Arctic have the potential to remain a strong carbon sink under future global warming.

The marine environment is under threat from climate change. This study finds that marine reserves can maintain biodiversity and abundance of large-bodied individuals in a warming environment. They also protect against colonization by range-shifting species when compared with fished sites.

A new alliance of top research institutions will tailor investigations into the economics of climate change to those best placed to act. Anna Petherick reports.

Analyses of changes in climate extremes at the local scale are affected by large uncertainties related to climate variability. Now research finds that integration over larger areas reveals consistent intensification of heat and precipitation extremes in projections of the near future.

Some existing conservation strategies may continue to provide secure habitats for species as their ranges move in response to climate change.

Keeping politicians and the public informed about advances in climate science would benefit from the active participation of social scientists in the process.

New Zealand is often seen as a leader when it comes to environmental policies, but it needs to do much more to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its fifth assessment report (AR5) on the physical science of climate change on 27th September this year. Nature Climate Change speaks to the co-chair of the working group responsible for the report, Thomas Stocker.