Atmospheric science articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    The timing of clouds is critical to the Earth’s energy balance. Here the authors show that in current climate models, clouds over the land tend to peak too early in the morning, reflecting less solar radiation than observed.

    • Jun Yin
    •  & Amilcare Porporato

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Climate oscillations affect weather on different temporal-spatial scales, which poses difficulty in understanding how they influence tree reproduction. Here Ascoli et al. show relationships between low- and high-frequency components of the NAO and masting in two European tree species across multiple decades.

    • Davide Ascoli
    • , Giorgio Vacchiano
    •  & Andrew Hacket-Pain

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ions produced by cosmic rays have been thought to influence aerosol and cloud processes by an unknown mechanism. Here the authors show that the mass flux of ions to aerosols enhances their growth significantly, with implications for the formation of cloud condensation nuclei.

    • H. Svensmark
    • , M. B. Enghoff
    •  & J. Svensmark

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Solar geoengineering has been proposed as a means of mitigating the warming effects of climate change, yet the consequences of such action remain uncertain. Here, using a general circulation model, the authors evaluate the effect of stratospheric aerosol injection on tropical cyclone activity.

    • Anthony C. Jones
    • , James M. Haywood
    •  & Andy Jones

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Tropical cyclone intensity is commonly measured by both central pressure and maximum wind speed, yet the physical relationship between the two is not understood. Here the authors show that the central pressure is an intensity measure that depends on maximum wind speed and the product of storm size and background rotation rate.

    • Daniel R. Chavas
    • , Kevin A. Reed
    •  & John A. Knaff

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The impact of volcanism on ice sheet melting during the last deglaciation is poorly understood and limited by a lack of suitable proxies. Here, the authors combine annually resolved records of ice sheet melting with numerical models to show that ice sheets are sensitive to high-latitude volcanic eruptions.

    • Francesco Muschitiello
    • , Francesco S. R. Pausata
    •  & Barbara Wohlfarth

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Land use and land cover change has led to more frequent hot, dry summers in parts of the mid-latitudes. Here the authors use an Earth system model to show that regions converted to crops and pastures experience hot, dry summers 2 to 4 times more frequently than they would if native forests had remained.

    • Kirsten L. Findell
    • , Alexis Berg
    •  & Elena Shevliakova

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Against the backdrop of a declining monsoon, the number of extreme rain events is on the rise over central India. Here the authors identify a threefold increase in widespread extreme rains over the region during 1950–2015, driven by an increasing variability of the low-level westerlies over the Arabian Sea.

    • M. K. Roxy
    • , Subimal Ghosh
    •  & M. Rajeevan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    El Niño tends to follow 2 years after volcanic eruptions, but the physical mechanism behind this phenomenon is unclear. Here the authors use model simulations to show that a Pinatubo-like eruption cools tropical Africa and drives westerly wind anomalies in the Pacific favouring an El Niño response.

    • Myriam Khodri
    • , Takeshi Izumo
    •  & Michael J. McPhaden

  • Article
    | Open Access

    International and domestic interprovincial trade of China are entangled, but their health impacts have been treated separately in earlier studies. Here Wang. quantify the complex impacts of trade on public health across China within an integrative framework.

    • Haikun Wang
    • , Yanxu Zhang
    •  & Michael B. McElroy

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Current national pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions track to a temperature rise of about 3 °C. Here the authors use future projections to show that 3 °C warming under a business as usual scenario would result in large increases in ozone concentrations, off-setting any benefits from mitigation policies.

    • A. Fortems-Cheiney
    • , G. Foret
    •  & M. Beekmann

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A succession of storms during the 2013–2014 winter led to record flooding in the UK. Here, the authors use high-resolution climate simulations to show that this event could have been anticipated and that there remains a high chance of exceeding observed record monthly rainfall totals in many parts of the UK.

    • Vikki Thompson
    • , Nick J. Dunstone
    •  & Stephen E. Belcher

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Evolution of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation through the Holocene remains uncertain. Here, via fully coupled model simulations, the authors show that increased Saharan vegetation and reduced dust emissions 6 kyr BP significantly affect ENSO variability through changes in the West African Monsoon strength.

    • Francesco S. R. Pausata
    • , Qiong Zhang
    •  & Zhengyu Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Sea spray, one of the largest natural aerosol sources, plays an important role in the Earth’s radiative budget. Here the authors show that the ability of sea salt particles to take up water is smaller than for pure salt, with implications for the parameterization of the direct aerosol radiative effect.

    • P. Zieger
    • , O. Väisänen
    •  & M. E. Salter

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Sporadic surface melt over the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is not fully understood. Here, the authors report on an extensive melting episode in the Ross Ice Shelf area in 2016 and use comprehensivein situobservations and model simulations to highlight the role of the strong El Niño event.

    • Julien P. Nicolas
    • , Andrew M. Vogelmann
    •  & Jonathan D. Wille

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The sensitivity of global precipitation to warming is largely governed by changes in atmospheric longwave radiation, a function of cloud cover. Here the authors show that tightening of the tropical circulation with warming drives a decrease in high cloud cover, resulting in higher precipitation changes.

    • Hui Su
    • , Jonathan H. Jiang
    •  & Yuk L. Yung

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Oxygen contained within cosmic spherules is sourced from the atmosphere, making micrometeorites a possible archive for past atmospheric conditions. Here, Packet al. compare the isotopic composition of oxygen in cosmic spherules from Antarctica with that of the troposphere, and validate the value of this archive.

    • Andreas Pack
    • , Andres Höweling
    •  & Luigi Folco

  • Article
    | Open Access

    El Niño events in the Central Pacific may be changing due to climate change, but long records to support this are lacking. Here, the authors present sea surface temperature reconstructions from tree cellulose for the last 800 years which suggest the variability of Central Pacific El Niño events has increased.

    • Yu Liu
    • , Kim M. Cobb
    •  & Hans W. Linderholm

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Over the past century, the frost-free season in the US has lengthened. Here, Strong and McCabe show that most of the variability of spring and fall-frost timing is determined by atmospheric circulation patterns and needs to be considered in future projections of growing season length.

    • Courtenay Strong
    •  & Gregory J. McCabe

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Understanding ice nucleation is important for the development of accurate cloud models. Here Biet al. show that sharp wedges can enhance ice nucleation both when the wedge geometry matches the ice lattice and when such matching is absent, in which case nucleation is promoted by topological defects.

    • Yuanfei Bi
    • , Boxiao Cao
    •  & Tianshu Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Iron oxide nanoparticles contribute to shortwave absorption in the form of desert dust. Motekiet al. show that iron oxide particles of anthropogenic origin, potentially from motor vehicles and blast furnaces, also contribute to atmospheric heating over East Asia.

    • Nobuhiro Moteki
    • , Kouji Adachi
    •  & Yutaka Kondo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Anthropogenic aerosol and calm conditions give rise to winter haze episodes in eastern China. Yanget al. show that these weak winds also decrease natural dust emissions, reducing the land–ocean temperature difference and associated winds, enhancing air stagnation and pollution in this region.

    • Yang Yang
    • , Lynn M. Russell
    •  & Steven J. Ghan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Large variations in insolation experienced by circumbinary planets raise the question of the habitability of such planets. Here, the authors show that while the changing insolation does not radically affect habitability, it does impact on the planet’s climate and on the interpretation of future observations.

    • Max Popp
    •  & Siegfried Eggl

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Biennial variability has intensified in the Pacific in recent decades, but the cause of this increase is not fully understood. Here, with statistical analyses and numerical experiments, the authors show that an Atlantic capacitor effect has given rise to this enhanced biennial variability since the early 1990s.

    • Lei Wang
    • , Jin-Yi Yu
    •  & Houk Paek

  • Article
    | Open Access

    It is proposed that Arctic sea ice loss may be a cause of colder European winters, by promoting the negative phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Here, the author shows that despite an intensification of negative NAO events, sea ice loss does not lead to cooling, and cold extremes actually decrease.

    • James A. Screen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Volatile organic compounds (VOC) emitted by vegetation influence cloud formation, yet the impact of environmental stresses remains little known. Here, manipulation experiments reveal insect infestation and heat stress are linked to induced VOC and constitutive VOC emissions shifts, respectively.

    • D. F. Zhao
    • , A. Buchholz
    •  & Th. F. Mentel

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Many New Zealand glaciers advanced during recent global warming, bucking a worldwide trend of glacier retreat. Here, the authors show that these glacier advances were forced by a sequence of unusually cool years in the New Zealand region, rather than a period of increased precipitation.

    • Andrew N. Mackintosh
    • , Brian M. Anderson
    •  & Sam M. Dean

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Forests impact continental-scale moisture recycling, but their impact on regional-scale cloud cover is little known. Here, using satellite observations, Teulinget al. illustrate enhanced cloud cover over regional forested areas in western Europe due to the establishment of a forest-breeze circulation.

    • Adriaan J. Teuling
    • , Christopher M. Taylor
    •  & Jordi Vilà-Guerau de Arellano

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Secondary organic aerosols are important contributors to the Earth’s radiation budget, however questions remain about their formation from highly-oxidized precursors. Here the authors show that the daytime reaction of hydroxyl radicals with α- and β-pinene is a greater source of highly-oxidized products than previously assumed.

    • Torsten Berndt
    • , Stefanie Richters
    •  & Mikael Ehn

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Super typhoons pose significant societal threats, yet their future behaviour due to rainfall-driven stratification changes remains unexplored. Here, observations and climate models reveal increased precipitation and subsequent freshening will likely intensify future super typhoons in the western N. Pacific.

    • Karthik Balaguru
    • , Gregory R. Foltz
    •  & Kerry A. Emanuel

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The climatic impact of ammonia emissions from Arctic seabird-colony guano is poorly understood. Here, using observations and a chemical transport model, Croftet al. illustrate that guano-associated particles promote cloud-droplet formation, resulting in a pan-Arctic cooling tendency of approximately −0.5 W m−2.

    • B. Croft
    • , G. R. Wentworth
    •  & J. R. Pierce

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) describes an eastward propagating pulse of tropical convection. Here, using short-term field measurements, Moum et al. illustrate an MJO memory effect: strong pulses drive enhanced ocean heat loss, weakening subsequent pulses, with implications for MJO prediction.

    • James N. Moum
    • , Kandaga Pujiana
    •  & William D. Smyth

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Thunderstorm activity over Lake Victoria poses a threat to human life, yet little is known about their evolution under climate change. Here, using satellite observations and high-resolution modelling, the authors project an increase in precipitation extremes over Lake Victoria, twice that of surrounding land.

    • Wim Thiery
    • , Edouard L. Davin
    •  & Nicole P. M. van Lipzig

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Black carbon (BC) contributes positively to the radiation budget, yet models are unable to correctly capture its seasonal variability in the Arctic. Here, the authors demonstrate improved model skill in simulating BC concentration and sources when including estimates of BC emissions from fires.

    • P Winiger
    • , A Andersson
    •  & Ö. Gustafsson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The impact of locally-sourced aerosols on the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect has been difficult to quantify due to opposing long and shortwave radiation effects. Here, using satellite observations and climate model simulations, the authors reveal that urban haze pollution intensifies the nighttime UHI in China.

    • Chang Cao
    • , Xuhui Lee
    •  & Lei Zhao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Clouds play a pivotal role in the Earth’s climate, yet little is known about those at mid-levels. Here, using satellite observations and high-resolution modeling, the authors find thin mid-level clouds, formed by detrainment during deep convection, occur across the tropics with a cooling effect on the climate.

    • Quentin Bourgeois
    • , Annica M. L. Ekman
    •  & Radovan Krejci

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Protection of coastlines from devastating flooding associated with sea-level extremes is impeded by a lack of continuous records. Here, the authors apply a hydrodynamic modelling approach and present the first reanalysis of tides, surges and extreme sea levels for the entire world's coastline.

    • Sanne Muis
    • , Martin Verlaan
    •  & Philip J. Ward

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The extent to which air traffic affects the optical thickness of existing cirrus clouds in the upper atmosphere remains unknown. Here, the authors compare cirrus cloud properties inside and outside of real flight tracks and show that optical thickness is significantly increased within the flight path.

    • Matthias Tesche
    • , Peggy Achtert
    •  & Kevin J. Noone

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The precise mechanism for wind energy input into the ocean at mesoscales remains uncertain. Here, using a high-resolution atmosphere-ocean model of the South Atlantic, the authors show that a mesoscale conduit associated with oceanic eddies is responsible for up to 10% of kinetic energy transfer.

    • D. Byrne
    • , M. Münnich
    •  & N. Gruber

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Atmospheric circulation controls the mass and energy balance of the Greenland ice sheet, yet the exact dynamics remain unknown. Here, the authors show that record conditions over Greenland during the summer of 2015 were associated with the formation and persistency of an Arctic cut-off high.

    • M. Tedesco
    • , T. Mote
    •  & K. Briggs

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Interdecadal modes of tropical Pacific ocean-atmosphere circulation have a strong influence on global temperature. Here, the authors present a 2000-year hydroclimate record from the Indo-Pacific, which suggests that century-scale variations in these modes are also linked with global temperature variability.

    • Michael L. Griffiths
    • , Alena K. Kimbrough
    •  & Wahyoe S. Hantoro

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