The discovery of a decadal El Niño–like state associated with shifts in the Pacific trade winds could have important implications for predicting sea level in future decades.
Research Spotlights
Research spotlights are plain-language summaries of recent articles published in AGU’s suite of 24 journals.
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How Do Main Shocks Affect Subsequent Earthquakes?
The results of a novel analysis of aftershock size distribution have important implications for more realistically assessing the seismic hazard of earthquake sequences.
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What Drives Temperature Inversions in the Mesosphere?
A study of nightglow over India reveals that gravity waves are less important than previously thought.
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A Simplified Model of Water Vapor Exchange in the Amazon
Evapotranspiration is the exchange of water vapor between land and the atmosphere, and it is hard to measure and model. A new study shows promise for its estimation over large, vegetated landscapes.
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A Better Understanding of Tropical Cyclones
A new model of how anvil clouds form could improve short-term hurricane forecasts.
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Topography and Microclimate Shape Tree Ring Growth
Wizened bristlecone pines in California reveal past climate trends, and new research shows how slight variations in landscape position drive different growth patterns in trees’ annual rings.
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What’s Missing from Antarctic Ice Sheet Loss Predictions?
Accurately modeling melt rates in specific ice shelf locations is critical for forecasting how Antarctica’s ice sheet will respond to climate change.
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When the River Meets the Sea: Estuary Sediments and Hypoxia
Scientists know that low-oxygen dead zones are growing worldwide. New research sheds light on what that will mean for estuary systems if trends continue.
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Ozone Pollution Deaths in India Higher Than Previously Thought
Reducing emissions could avert more than 300,000 deaths per year by 2050.
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A 192,000-Year Record of Northwest African Fire History
Biomarker analyses from an offshore sediment core suggest that increased fire occurrence around 55,000 years ago coincided with increased fuel loads and human settlement in this region.