ScienceDaily: Atmosphere News

Jet stream changes cause climatically exceptional Greenland Ice Sheet melt

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:12:12 EDT

Scientists have shown that unusual changes in atmospheric jet stream circulation caused the exceptional surface melt of the Greenland Ice Sheet in summer 2012.

'Self-cleaning' pollution-control technology could do more harm than good, study suggests

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 09:23:23 EDT

Environmental scientists shows that air-pollution-removal technology used in "self-cleaning" paints and building surfaces may actually cause more problems than they solve. The study finds that titanium dioxide coatings, seen as promising for their role in breaking down airborne pollutants on contact, are likely in real-world conditions to convert abundant ammonia to nitrogen oxide, the key precursor of harmful ozone pollution.

Amount of dust blown across the Western U.S. is increasing

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 19:30:30 EDT

The amount of dust being blown across the landscape has increased over the last 17 years in large swaths of the West, according to a new study.

Pollution in Northern Hemisphere helped cause 1980s African drought

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 15:43:43 EDT

Air pollution in the Northern Hemisphere in the mid-20th century cooled the upper half of the planet and pushed rain bands south, contributing to the prolonged and worsening drought in Africa's Sahel region. Clean air legislation in the 1980s reversed the trend and the drought lessened.

2011 Draconid meteor shower deposited a ton of meteoritic material on Earth

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 14:10:10 EDT

About a ton of material coming from comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner was deposited in the Earth's atmosphere on October 8th and 9th, 2011 during one of the most intense showers of shooting starts in the last decade, which registered an activity of more than 400 meteors per hour.

NASA to study how pollution, storms and climate mix

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:30:30 EDT

NASA aircraft will take to the skies over the southern United States this summer to investigate how air pollution and natural emissions, which are pushed high into the atmosphere by large storms, affect atmospheric composition and climate.

Ancient trapped water explains Earth's first ice age

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 13:35:35 EDT

Tiny bubbles of water found in quartz grains in Australia may hold the key to understanding what caused the Earth's first ice age, say scientists.

Laser-brightened cirrus clouds

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 10:42:42 EDT

Intense laser light pulses increase the brightness of high cirrus clouds. Scientists have been investigating the interactions of laser light and ice clouds using a unique AIDA aerosol and cloud chamber.

Global warming caused by CFCs, not carbon dioxide, researcher claims in controversial study

Thu, 30 May 2013 13:24:24 EDT

Chlorofluorocarbons are to blame for global warming since the 1970s and not carbon dioxide, a researcher claims in a controversial new study. CFCs are already known to deplete ozone, but in-depth statistical analysis now suggests that CFCs are also the key driver in global climate change, rather than carbon dioxide emissions, the researcher argues.

NASA’s HS3 mission aircraft to double team 2013 hurricane season

Wed, 29 May 2013 13:03:03 EDT

During this year's hurricane season NASA will "double-team" on research with two unmanned Global Hawk aircraft winging their way over storms that develop during the peak of the season. NASA's Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel, or HS3 airborne mission, will revisit the Atlantic Ocean to investigate storms using additional instruments and for the first time two Global Hawks.

Scientists develop CO2 sequestration technique

Tue, 28 May 2013 14:37:37 EDT

Scientists have discovered and demonstrated a new technique to remove and store atmospheric carbon dioxide while generating carbon-negative hydrogen and producing alkalinity, which can be used to offset ocean acidification.

Study explores atmospheric impact of declining Arctic sea ice

Tue, 28 May 2013 10:58:58 EDT

New research explores the impact of ice free seas on the planet's atmospheric circulation.

Climate researchers discover new rhythm for El Niño

Mon, 27 May 2013 10:06:06 EDT

Why El Niño peaks around Christmas and ends quickly by February to April has been a long-standing mystery. The answer lies in an interaction between El Niño and the annual cycle that results in an unusual tropical Pacific wind pattern with a period of 15 months, according to scientists.

Tropical upper atmosphere 'fingerprint' of global warming

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:11:11 EDT

The winds of the quasibiennial oscillation in the tropical upper atmosphere have greatly weakened at some altitudes over the last six decades, according to a new study. The finding is consistent with computer model projections of how the upper atmosphere responds to global warming induced by increased greenhouse gas concentrations.

Volcanoes cause climate gas concentrations to vary

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:53:53 EDT

Trace gases and aerosols are major factors influencing the climate. With the help of highly complex installations, such as MIPAS on board of the ENVISAT satellite, researchers try to better understand the processes in the upper atmosphere. Now, scientists have completed a comprehensive overview of sulfur dioxide measurements.

Climate change and wildfire

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:26:26 EDT

Concerns continue to grow about the effects of climate change on fire. Wildfires are expected to increase 50 percent across the United States under a changing climate, over 100 percent in areas of the West by 2050 as projected by some studies. Of equal concern to scientists and policymakers alike are the atmospheric effects of wildfire emissions on climate. A new article synthesizes recent findings on the interactions between fire and climate and outlines future research needs.

NASA’s BARREL mission launches 20 balloons

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:45:45 EDT

In Antarctica in January, 2013 -- the summer at the South Pole -- scientists released 20 balloons, each eight stories tall, into the air to help answer an enduring space weather question: when the giant radiation belts surrounding Earth lose material, where do the extra particles actually go?

Fall warming on Antarctic Peninsula driven by tropically forced circulation

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:14:14 EDT

New research shows that, in recent decades, fall is the only period of extensive warming over the entire Antarctic Peninsula, and it is mostly from atmospheric circulation patterns originating in the tropics.

Warming in central China greater than most climate models indicated

Wed, 15 May 2013 09:49:49 EDT

New data from Central China reveal that temperatures have risen 10 to 14 degrees Fahrenheit over the last 20,000 years in this region, an increase two to four times greater than what many scientists previously thought.

Sulfate aerosols cool climate less than assumed

Tue, 14 May 2013 08:53:53 EDT

Life span of cloud-forming sulfate particles in the air is shorter than assumed due to a sulfur dioxide oxidation pathway which has been neglected in climate models so far.

First X-class solar flares of 2013

Tue, 14 May 2013 08:37:37 EDT

On May 13, 2013, the sun emitted an X2.8-class flare, peaking at 12:05 p.m. EDT. This is the the strongest X-class flare of 2013 so far, surpassing in strength the X1.7-class flare that occurred 14 hours earlier. It is the 16th X-class flare of the current solar cycle and the third-largest flare of that cycle. The second-strongest was an X5.4 event on March 7, 2012. The strongest was an X6.9 on Aug. 9, 2011.

Impacts of strong solar flares

Tue, 14 May 2013 08:35:35 EDT

Given a legitimate need to protect Earth from the most intense forms of space weather -- great bursts of electromagnetic energy and particles that can sometimes stream from the sun -- some people worry that a gigantic "killer solar flare" could hurl enough energy to destroy Earth, but this is not actually possible.

Dust in the clouds: Cirrus clouds form around mineral dust and metallic particles

Thu, 09 May 2013 14:21:21 EDT

Cirrus clouds influence global climate, cooling the planet by reflecting incoming solar radiation and warming it by trapping outgoing heat. Understanding the mechanisms by which these clouds form may help scientists better predict future climate patterns. Scientists have now identified the major seeds on which cirrus clouds form.

Landsat thermal sensor lights up from volcano's heat

Mon, 06 May 2013 18:17:17 EDT

As the Landsat Data Continuity Mission satellite flew over Indonesia's Flores Sea April 29, it captured an image of Paluweh volcano spewing ash into the air. The satellite's Operational Land Imager detected the white cloud of smoke and ash drifting northwest, over the green forests of the island and the blue waters of the tropical sea. The Thermal Infrared Sensor on LDCM picked up even more.

Brighter clouds, cooler climate? Organic vapors affect clouds, leading to previously unidentified climate cooling

Sun, 05 May 2013 14:58:58 EDT

Scientists have shown that natural emissions and humanmade pollutants can both have an unexpected cooling effect on Earth's climate by making clouds brighter.

Lake found in Sierra Nevada with the oldest remains of atmospheric contamination in Southern Europe

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 09:23:23 EDT

Scientists found, in the Laguna de Rio Seco lagoon, at an altitude of 3,020 m., evidence of atmospheric pollution caused by lead and linked to metallurgical activities from 3,900 years ago (Early Bronze Age). Lead pollution increased gradually during the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age, coinciding with the development and expansion of metallurgy in southern Europe.

Plants can moderate climate warming, new research shows

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 14:49:49 EDT

As temperatures warm, plants release gases that help form clouds and cool the atmosphere, according to new research. The new study identified a negative feedback loop in which higher temperatures lead to an increase in concentrations of natural aerosols that have a cooling effect on the atmosphere.

NASA mission to study what disrupts radio waves

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:56:56 EDT

A NASA-funded sounding rocket mission will launch from an atoll in the Pacific in the next few weeks to help scientists better understand and predict the electrical storms in Earth's upper atmosphere These storms can interfere with satellite communication and global positioning signals.

Rethinking early atmospheric oxygen: Possibility of more dynamic biological oxygen cycle on early Earth than previously supposed

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:52:52 EDT

Using a quantitative model, a research team of biogeochemists has provided a new view on the relationship between the earliest accumulation of oxygen in the atmosphere, arguably the most important biological event in Earth's history, and its relationship to the sulfur cycle. Their model, the researchers argue, is one step toward a more integrated view of how Earth's crust, mantle and atmosphere interact in the global sulfur cycle.

Ancient Earth crust stored in deep mantle

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:27:27 EDT

Scientists have long believed that lava erupted from certain oceanic volcanoes contains materials from the early Earth's crust. But decisive evidence for this phenomenon has proven elusive. New research now demonstrates that oceanic volcanic rocks contain samples of recycled crust dating back to the Archean era 2.5 billion years ago.

Sunlit snow triggers atmospheric cleaning, ozone depletion in the Arctic

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:23:23 EDT

Researchers have discovered that sunlit snow is the major source of atmospheric bromine in the Arctic, the key to unique chemical reactions that purge pollutants and destroy ozone.

Biological activity alters the ability of sea spray to seed clouds

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:49:49 EDT

Ocean biology alters the chemical composition of sea spray in ways that influence their ability to form clouds over the ocean. That's the conclusion of a team of scientists using a new approach to study tiny atmospheric particles called aerosols that can influence climate by absorbing or reflecting sunlight and seeding clouds.

Geochemical method finds links between terrestrial climate and atmospheric carbon dioxide

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:49:49 EDT

Scientists used a new chemical technique to measure the change in terrestrial temperature associated with a major shift in global atmospheric CO2 concentrations nearly 34 million years ago. Their results provide further evidence that the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide and Earth's surface temperature are inextricably linked.

NASA's Wind mission encounters 'SLAMS' waves

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 18:00:00 EDT

To tease out what happens at that boundary of the magnetosphere and to better understand how radiation and energy from the sun can cross it and move closer to Earth, NASA launches spacecraft into this region to observe the changing conditions. From 1998 to 2002, NASA's Wind spacecraft traveled through this foreshock region in front of Earth 17 times, providing new information about the physics there.

The Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident: Two years on, the fallout continues

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 09:48:48 EDT

More than two years after the earthquake and tsunami that devastated parts of Japan, scientists are still trying to quantify the extent of the damage.

Reaction rates of second key atmospheric component measured

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:27:27 EDT

Researchers have successfully measured reaction rates of a second Criegee intermediate, CH3CHOO, and proven that the reactivity of the atmospheric chemical depends strongly on which way the molecule is twisted.

Human shadow cast over the Caribbean slows coral growth

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 11:16:16 EDT

Striking Caribbean sunsets occur when particles in the air scatter incoming sunlight. But a particulate shadow over the sea may have effects underwater. A research team has linked airborne particles caused by volcanic activity and air pollution to episodes of slow coral-reef growth.

Rapid climate change and the role of the Southern Ocean

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 13:37:37 EDT

Scientists have discovered new clues about past rapid climate change. The research concludes that oceanographic reorganizations and biological processes are linked to the supply of airborne dust in the Southern Ocean and this connection played a key role in past rapid fluctuations of atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, an important component in the climate system.

Thin clouds drove Greenland's record-breaking 2012 ice melt

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:13:13 EDT

If the sheet of ice covering Greenland were to melt in its entirety tomorrow, global sea levels would rise by 24 feet. Three million cubic kilometers of ice won't wash into the ocean overnight, but researchers have been tracking increasing melt rates since at least 1979. Last summer, however, the melt was so large that similar events show up in ice core records only once every 150 years or so over the last four millennia.

Rising temperature difference between hemispheres could dramatically shift rainfall patterns in tropics

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:25:25 EDT

One often ignored consequence of global climate change is that the Northern Hemisphere is becoming warmer than the Southern Hemisphere, which could significantly alter tropical precipitation patterns, according to a new study by climatologists.

Ozone masks plants volatiles, plant eating insects confused

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:01:01 EDT

Increases in ground-level ozone, especially in rural areas, may interfere not only with predator insects finding host plants, but also with pollinators finding flowers, according to new research.

NASA's SORCE satellite marks a decade in the sun

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 10:22:22 EDT

NASA's Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) satellite has been providing data on the sun's irradiance for 10 years. SORCE measures electromagnetic radiation produced by the sun and the power per unit area of that energy on Earth's surface.

New evidence ancient asteroid caused global firestorm on Earth

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:42:42 EDT

A new look at conditions after a Manhattan-sized asteroid slammed into a region of Mexico in the dinosaur days indicates the event could have triggered a global firestorm that would have burned every twig, bush and tree on Earth and led to the extinction of 80 percent of all Earth's species, says a new study.

Increase in heavy rainfalls over past 60 years in upper Midwest, US

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 18:23:23 EDT

Heavy rains have become more frequent in the upper Midwest over the past 60 years, according to a new stud. The trend appears to hold true even with the current drought plaguing the region, the study's main author says.

Causes of 2011 Arctic ozone hole determined

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:39:39 EDT

A combination of extreme cold temperatures, human-made chemicals and a stagnant atmosphere were behind what became known as the Arctic ozone hole of 2011, a new study finds.

Remote clouds responsible for climate models' glitch in tropical rainfall

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 15:13:13 EDT

New research shows that cloud biases over the Southern Ocean are the primary contributor to the double-rain band problem that exists in most modern climate models.

Ground-level ozone falling faster than model predicted

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 12:39:39 EDT

While dangerous ozone levels have fallen with reductions in emissions from vehicles and industry, a new study suggests a model widely used to predict the impact of remediation efforts has been too conservative.

Ozone layer above North Pole expected to recover by end of century

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 09:13:13 EDT

Good news for the ozone layer above the Arctic. The Montreal Protocol is showing effects: according to recent measurements, the ozone layer over the North Pole should recover by the end of the century.

Earth warmer today than during 70 to 80 percent of the past 11,300 years

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:53:53 EST

Using data from 73 sites around the world, scientists have been able to reconstruct Earth's temperature history back to the end of the last Ice Age, revealing that the planet today is warmer than it has been during 70 to 80 percent of the time over the last 11,300 years.

More storms like Sandy? Arctic ice loss amplified Superstorm Sandy violence

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:51:51 EST

Researchers have shown that the severe loss of summertime Arctic sea ice – attributed to greenhouse warming – appears to increase the frequency of atmospheric blocking events like the one that steered Hurricane Sandy into the US Northeast.

Accurate water vapor measurements for improved weather and climate models

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 10:51:51 EST

A new laser hygrometer for research aircraft has proven suitable as a transfer standard.

Saharan and Asian dust, biological particles end global journey in California

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:33:33 EST

A new study is the first to show that dust and other aerosols from one side of the world influence rainfall in the Sierra Nevada.

Volcanic aerosols, not pollutants, tamped down recent Earth warming

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:30:30 EST

Scientists looking for clues about why Earth did not warm as much as scientists expected between 2000 and 2010 now thinks the culprits are hiding in plain sight -- dozens of volcanoes spewing sulfur dioxide.

Mineral diversity clue to early Earth chemistry

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:58:58 EST

Mineral evolution is a new way to look at our planet's history. It's the study of the increasing diversity and characteristics of Earth's near-surface minerals, from the dozen that arrived on interstellar dust particles when the Solar System was formed to the more than 4,700 types existing today. New research on a mineral called molybdenite provides important new insights about the changing chemistry of our planet as a result of geological and biological processes.

Researchers find new information about 'Snowball Earth' period

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:56:56 EST

Researchers report new clues on the duration of what was a significant change in atmospheric conditions following the Marinoan glaciation.

NASA's Van Allen Probes reveal a new radiation belt around Earth

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:54:54 EST

NASA's Van Allen Probes mission has discovered a previously unknown third radiation belt around Earth, revealing the existence of unexpected structures and processes within these hazardous regions of space.

Weather extremes provoked by trapping of giant waves in the atmosphere

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:31:31 EST

The world has suffered from severe regional weather extremes in recent years, such as the heat wave in the United States in 2011. Behind these devastating individual events there is a common physical cause, propose scientists in a new study. It suggests that human-made climate change repeatedly disturbs the patterns of atmospheric flow around the globe's Northern hemisphere through a subtle resonance mechanism.

Clues to climate cycles dug from South Pole snow pit

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:31:31 EST

Particles from the upper atmosphere trapped in a deep pile of Antarctic snow hold clear chemical traces of global meteorological events, climate scientists from France have found. Anomalies in oxygen found in sulfate particles coincide with several episodes of the world-wide disruption of weather known as El Nino and can be distinguished from similar signals left by the eruption of huge volcanoes, the team reports.

Macroweather is what you expect: Should there be a distinct category between weather and climate?

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 13:16:16 EST

While short-term weather is notoriously volatile, climate is thought to represent a kind of average weather pattern over a long period. This dichotomy provides the analytical framework for scientific thinking about atmospheric variability, including climate change. But the weather-climate dichotomy paints an incomplete picture, according to a physics professor. He argues that statistical analysis shows there is a period between short-term weather and long-term climate that should be recognized as distinct.

Childhood blood lead levels rise and fall with exposure to airborne dust in urban areas

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 10:25:25 EST

A new nine-year study of more than 367,000 children in Detroit supports the idea that a mysterious seasonal fluctuation in blood lead levels -- observed in urban areas throughout the United States and elsewhere in the northern hemisphere -- results from resuspended dust contaminated with lead.