As the midpoint of the year approaches, several climate records have already been broken. Arctic winter sea ice extent reached a record low. Several countries saw record-breaking winter heat waves. And more than 150 million acres have already burned globally in wildfires.
El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
Posted inNews
Most of the U.S. West Will Face Above-Normal Wildfire Risk This Summer
The National Interagency Fire Center predicts elevated wildfire potential across much of the West and many Southeast states through August.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Drought Drove the Amazon’s 2023 Switch to a Carbon Source
The change was caused by thirsty vegetation taking up less carbon than normal, not by the year’s extended fire season, new research shows.
Posted inNews
The Past 3 Years Have Been the Three Hottest on Record
Extreme heat in 2023, 2024, and 2025 indicates a warming spike, a new analysis finds.
Posted inNews
Globe-Trotting Weather Pattern Influences Rainfall in Hawaii
Isolated islands that depend on rainfall could benefit from improved forecasting of near-future events, and understanding the Madden-Julian Oscillation could hold an important key.
Posted inNews
Panama’s Coastal Waters Missed Their Annual Cooldown This Year
The unprecedented failure of tropical upwelling will likely affect the country’s fisheries. Scientists aren’t certain whether it will happen again next year.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Droughts Sync Up as the Climate Changes
A new study reconstructs roughly 800 years of streamflow history in India’s major rivers, showing an increase in synchronous drought linked to anthropogenic climate change.
Posted inNews
El Niño May Be Driving Insect Decline in the Tropics
Stronger and more frequent El Niño events are contributing to a decline in arthropod diversity and population, as well as to a reduction in the ecological services the animals provide.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Tree Rings Record History of Jet Stream-Related Climate Extremes
Persistent spatial patterns of summer weather extremes in the northern hemisphere recorded in tree ring growth records provide a thousand-year history of jet stream ‘wave5’ dynamics.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Decadal Forecasts with a SMYLE
Scientists use a large suite of simulations with an established climate model to predict the Pacific Decadal Oscillation up to one year in advance, but El Niño can still get in the way.