Scientists create a 66-year data record to shed light on the role of El Niño in the California Current System’s shifting temperatures.
everything atmospheric
Observing Mercury’s Brilliant Flares from Earth
Researchers make the first short-term observation of sodium flares in Mercury’s exosphere.
Tracking Meteor Trails to Study the Mesosphere
Twelve years of radar data reveal new phenomena in Earth’s upper atmosphere.
O. Walter Lennartsson (1943–2017)
A pioneering leader in unraveling the complex plasma interactions that drive the dynamics of Earth’s magnetosphere and other space plasma environments.
Could a Newfound Molecule on Titan Be a Building Block for Life?
The discovery of vinyl cyanide in the atmosphere of Saturn’s moon Titan has huge implications for life—but not as we know it.
Volcano’s Toxic Plume Returns as Stealth Hazard
During a closely watched eruption, plumes of harmful sulfur dioxide gas morphed into “plumerangs” of sulfuric-acid-rich aerosols that descended on populated parts of Iceland.
Testing Models of Near-Space Electrical Currents
Modeling Earth’s near-space environment and its electrical currents is challenging. A new study compares how four different models stack up against observations.
Uncovering the Hidden Secrets of Water Vapor
A recent paper in Reviews of Geophysics describes how water vapor isotopic measurements and modeling can improve our understanding of the Earth’s water cycle.
Global Atmospheric Observations May Need Tweaking for Turbulence
A new study that overturns an 80-year-old assumption about atmospheric turbulence may finally resolve discrepancies in observations of atmospheric heat, water vapor, and carbon.
New Supercomputers Allow Climate Models to Capture Convection
Scientists evaluate the latest version of a fine-scale climate model by simulating a decade of precipitation patterns across Europe.
