Clouds can form without particles
In addition to their aesthetic and photogenic appeal, clouds play a crucial role in Earth’s climate and ecosystems, helping regulate temperatures by reflecting sunlight. All clouds — from fluffy...
View ArticleNewly discovered Earth-like worlds are rocky, not gassy
In May, a new planetary system was discovered just 40 light-years from Earth, including three Earth-sized planets orbiting around their red dwarf sun in a temperature range that could potentially...
View ArticleCloud feedbacks drive climate sensitivity
Fly over the tropical or subtropical oceans and you’ll see a white blanket of clouds covering the blue-green water. These low clouds, typically forming less than 2 to 3 kilometers above the ocean...
View ArticleSmokier U.S. West as climate changes
Extended wildfire seasons and larger and more frequent burns will likely be the consequence of the hotter and drier conditions expected to result from climate change. New research shows that this...
View ArticleEarth's largest jet stream unexpectedly disrupted
In early 2016, scientists first noticed an unexpected change in wind direction in the stratosphere some 25 kilometers above the equator. This shift signaled the beginning of a multimonth disruption of...
View ArticleMountains may cause huge waves in Venusian clouds
An enormous, stationary, bow-shaped feature has been detected in the cloud-tops of Venus’ thick, sulfuric acid-rich atmosphere. The structure, stretching more than 10,000 kilometers, remains fixed over...
View ArticleRed Planet Roundup: August 2017
With two rovers patrolling the surface of Mars, six spacecraft orbiting above it, and scientists here on Earth studying the Red Planet from afar, new findings are announced often. Here are a few of the...
View ArticleDust influences pollution levels in eastern China
Air pollution often enshrouds cities in eastern China in a thick haze that impairs visibility and causes respiratory health problems. Emissions from human activity are mainly to blame, but climate...
View ArticleAncient wildfires suggest rising atmospheric oxygen helped end past ocean anoxia
Many times throughout Earth’s history, oxygen levels in the world’s oceans have decreased dramatically in episodes called oceanic anoxic events (OAEs), which have caused massive marine die-offs. In the...
View ArticleA flammable planet: Fire finds its place in Earth history
For hundreds of millions of years, wildfires have shaped the planet, from the plants, animals and ecosystems around us to the air we breathe. Yet scientists are only beginning to understand the...
View ArticleEl Nino "flavors" affect California rainfall
Twenty years ago, the 1997–98 El Niño surpassed the 1982–83 event to become the strongest El Niño ever recorded, contributing to famine and drought in Southeast Asia, devastating floods in Southern...
View ArticleSolar eclipse mimics conditions on Mars
What does a total solar eclipse here on Earth have to do with studying life on Mars? The answer lies nearly 25 kilometers above Earth’s surface in the stratosphere, where the August 2017 eclipse...
View ArticleRed Planet Roundup: August 2018
With two rovers patrolling the surface of Mars, six spacecraft orbiting above it, and scientists here on Earth studying the Red Planet from afar, new findings are announced often. 13 Aug 2018
View ArticleSipping carbon-neutral fuel from the atmosphere
In the near future, vehicles may be powered by carbon that comes from the sky, rather than out of the ground. Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology pulls carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and converts...
View ArticleWinter precipitation in southwestern U.S. tied to Kiwi Coast
Water supplies in the southwestern United States largely depend on winter precipitation. Predicting seasonal rain and snowfall is becoming more difficult, however, as climate change causes...
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