Gravity Waves Influence Weather and Climate

Gravity waves form in the atmosphere as a result of destabilizing processes, for example at weather fronts, during storms or when air masses stroke over mountain ranges. They can occasionally be seen in the sky as bands of cloud. For weather forecast and climate models, however, they are mostly “invisible” due to their short wavelength. The effects of gravity waves can only be taken into consideration by including additional special components in the models. The “MS-GWaves” research unit funded by the German Research Foundation and led by Goethe University Frankfurt has meanwhile further developed such parameterizations and will test them in the second funding period.

Researchers Take on Atmospheric Effects of Arctic Snowmelt

Researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute are exploring the changing chemistry of the Arctic’s atmosphere to help answer the question of what happens as snow and ice begin to melt.

In Times of Climate Change: What a Lake's Colour Can Tell About Its Condition

With the help of satellite observations from 188 lakes worldwide, scientists at the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) have shown that the warming of large lakes amplifies their colour. Lakes which are green due to their high phytoplankton content tend to become greener in warm years as phytoplankton content increases. Clear, blue lakes with little phytoplankton, on the other hand, tend to become even bluer in warm years caused by declines in phytoplankton. Thus, contrary to previous assumptions, the warming of lakes tends to amplify their richness or poverty of phytoplankton.

Higher Risk of Heart Failure in Cold Weather, Study Suggests

Could decreases in temperature cause heart failure and death?

A Stinging Report: FSU Research Shows Climate Change a Major Threat to Bumble Bees

New research from a team of Florida State University scientists and their collaborators is helping to explain the link between a changing global climate and a dramatic decline in bumble bee populations worldwide.

Large Volcanic Eruptions in Tropics Can Trigger El Niño Events

Explosive volcanic eruptions in the tropics can lead to El Niño events, those notorious warming periods in the Pacific Ocean with dramatic global impacts on the climate, according to a new study.

NOAA Fisheries Celebrates National Seafood Month

Join NOAA all month long as we celebrate the bounty of sustainable seafood! From finfish to shellfish, Americans love seafood—and it's easy to see why. This healthy food choice provides key nutrients and proteins for children and adults. The seafood caught and farmed in the United States comes from some of the most sustainably managed fisheries in the world.

New climate change tool will help keep Canadians safe

Researchers at the University of Regina have recently launched a new climate change tool designed to help project future climate changes.

The tool, called the Canada Climate Change Data Portal (CCCDP), was developed by researchers in the University of Regina’s Institute for Energy Environment and Sustainable Communities (IEESC).

NREL, Johns Hopkins SAIS Develop Method to Quantify Life Cycle Land Use of Electricity from Natural Gas

A case study of the Barnett Shale region in Texas, where hydraulic fracturing was first implemented, for the first time provides quantifiable information on the life cycle land use of generating electricity from natural gas based on physical measurements instead of using assumptions and averages that were previously used for evaluation.

Researchers at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) studied satellite images of a seven-county area as well as data from Texas regulators on production, processing, and the transportation of natural gas. The journal Nature Energy published their findings, “Understanding the life cycle surface land requirements of natural gas-fired electricity,” in its latest issue.

World-First Trial for Universal Flu Vaccine

The world’s first widespread human testing of a flu vaccine which researchers hope will protect more over 65-year-olds against influenza has begun in the NHS.