Coupled models of the climate system

Visible-light and thermal-infrared photos of Sacramento showing heat distribution

Modeling Interactions Between Cities and Climate Across Scales

by Susan Trumbore 26 January 202126 January 2021

With more than half of humanity living in cities, the ability to model urban-climate interactions at relevant spatial scales is increasingly important.

Charts showing cumulative future CO2 emissions (left), surface temperature anomaly (center), and year when sea-ice area drops below 1 million km2 (right) under different CMIP6 emissions scenarios

Editors' Highlights

Characteristics of Polar Sea Ice in Latest Climate Models

by G. Magnusdottir 21 August 2020

Sea ice area in CMIP6 is similar to previous versions while its sensitivity to external forcing is subtly different and closer to observations, but still not in step with global surface temperature.

Charts showing how different levels of volcanic emissions result in different shortwave, longwave, and total daily mean net radiative forcings computed for different scalings of sulfur dioxide volume mixing ratios.

Editors' Highlights

The Overlooked Role of Sulfur Dioxide Emissions from Volcanoes

by L. Russell 10 March 2020

Volcanoes can warm as much as they cool. Prior simulations have neglected the important warming effects of sulfur dioxide emissions, making some results colder than they should be.

Figure showing observed and modeled rates of land-surface warming relative to near-surface air during dry spells

Editors' Highlights

Diagnosing Soil Moisture Impacts on Model Energy Fluxes

by Valeriy Ivanov 13 June 2019

Do climate models truthfully mimic how drying soil affects land-surface budget partition?

Editors' Highlights

Household Cooking and Heating Affect Health and Climate in China

by L. Russell 16 May 2019

Black and organic particle emissions have significant impacts on both health and climate, and household cooking and heating activities may contribute substantially to these impacts in China.

Science Updates

Subseasonal to Decadal Predictions: Successes and Challenges

by G. Danabasoglu, F. Vitart and W. J. Merryfield 31 January 2019

International Conferences on Subseasonal to Decadal Prediction; Boulder, Colorado, 17–21 September 2018

Satellite image showing how dissolved organic matter influences ocean color.

Research Spotlights

Yellow Detritus in the Oceans May Help Reduce Warming

by Aaron Sidder 25 September 2018

Dissolved organic matter in the oceans absorbs light near the water’s surface, leading to cooler waters that may help mitigate regional climate warming.