An improved record of carbon dioxide levels captured from space sets the stage for deeper understanding of climate change.
everything atmospheric
Posted inNews
Where Did Formaldehyde Rain Down on Mars? Almost Everywhere.
More formaldehyde rained down in places that were already wet and favorable for prebiotic chemistry.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Auroral Structure Could Be Caused by Bouncing Electrons
High-resolution optical observations of aurorae show fluctuations and structuring that could be explained by interactions between electrons and a plasma phenomenon called Alfvén waves.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Clouds over the Highest Mountains Dance a Little Differently
Clouds over the Tibetan Plateau and the Andes are growing colder and higher than other clouds in response to climate change. That could affect local hydrology and radiation.
Posted inOpinions
Life in the Skies Links Ecosystems Near and Far. It Deserves More Attention.
Our understanding of Earth’s biology and its responses to environmental change is limited by an incomplete picture of the planet’s dynamic aerobiome.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Limits of Satellite Detection of Extreme Carbon Cycle Events
Satellite carbon dioxide observations detect more carbon-cycle extremes than ground stations but still miss many events and underestimate their magnitude.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Scientists Zero In on Tiny Particles to Improve Weather and Air Quality Forecasts
A new method for handling satellite aerosol observations boosts simulation accuracy, with potential benefits for weather and climate forecasting.
Posted inFeatures
Chemical Conversations Between Forests and the Sky Affect Air Quality, Clouds, and More
Trees release invisible gases that can create clouds, trap heat, and worsen pollution. Scientists are busy trying to unravel forests’ complex atmospheric contributions in a changing climate.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Dust and Marine Halogens Team Up to Destroy Tropospheric Ozone
Mineral dust-activated halogen chemistry is an important yet under-studied natural sink of the tropospheric ozone with implications for the Earth’s oxidative balance, crop yields, and human health.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Wind Works: The Atmosphere’s Invisible Energetic Tug-of-War
Two basic atmospheric factors can explain the weak and, at times, contrasting trends in global wind energy dissipation under climate change.