everything atmospheric Archives - Page 39 of 91

Sunlight reflecting off tiny, interplanetary “cosmic dust” particles

Cosmic Dust May Be Key Source of Phosphorus for Life on Earth

by Sarah Stanley 17 November 202117 November 2021

When tiny particles enter Earth’s atmosphere, a newly described series of chemical reactions may lead to production of phosphorus-containing molecules that are essential for biological processes.

Research Spotlights

Stratospheric Balloons Listen In on Ground Activity

by J. Lee 15 November 202115 November 2021

Solar-powered hot-air balloons, floating 2.5 times as high as Mount Everest, detected a buried explosion more clearly than ground-based sensors did.

The layers of Jupiter’s atmosphere visible to Juno’s microwave radiometer

Research Spotlights

A Transition Zone Below Jupiter’s Clouds

by Morgan Rehnberg 12 November 202127 January 2022

The microwave radiometer aboard NASA’s Juno spacecraft reveals the hidden atmospheric circulations at work deep below Jupiter’s colorful clouds.

Two plots comparing averaged vertical velocity, swirling wind, and radial flow for model forecasts of Hurricane Michael using an old formulation for turbulent mixing on the left and an improved formulation for turbulent mixing on the right.

Editors' Highlights

Hurricane Forecast Improvement with Better Turbulent Processes

by Robert F. Rogers 4 November 202113 April 2022

A new look at turbulent processes has improved the prediction of hurricane rapid intensification by properly accounting for the unique environment of a hurricane eyewall.

News

Supercell Thunderstorms Shake Up the Stratosphere

by Jordan Wilkerson 28 October 20218 March 2022

Supercell storm tops may act like mountains that obstruct winds, transforming their flow into violent turbulence that mixes near-surface air with the stratosphere above.

Heavy-duty diesel vehicles drive inequalities in air quality in cities across the United States.

ENGAGE, Research Spotlights

An Eye in the Sky Tracks Air Pollution Inequality in U.S. Cities

by Aaron Sidder 27 October 202128 March 2023

A new study uses its data to show that diesel traffic is the largest source of pollution inequality across racial and economic divides

Set of four maps showing condensed water path, frozen moist static energy anomaly, longwave heating anomaly, and shortwave heating anomaly from the 300 K sea surface temperature simulation at day 100.

Editors' Highlights

Importance of High Clouds and Moisture in Rainstorm Aggregation

by Jiwen Fan 21 October 202113 March 2023

A study of the impacts of radiative interactions with different cloud types on aggregation of rainstorms finds that interactions with high-clouds and water vapor are key.

A photograph of polar stratospheric clouds near Kiruna, Sweden.

Editors' Vox

New Insights into Polar Stratospheric Clouds

by Lamont R. Poole 18 October 202126 April 2022

New satellite observations of polar stratospheric clouds have advanced our understanding of how, when, and where they form, their composition, and their role in ozone depletion.