In May, we look at lightning—what it tells us about dangerous weather, how to find it on other planets, and what we might learn if we get all that data in one place.
everything atmospheric
Posted inNews
Record-Setting Winds on a Nearby Brown Dwarf
Infrared and radio observations reveal zonal winds moving faster than 2,000 kilometers per hour on a “failed star” in our celestial neighborhood.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
A New View of Old Clouds
Satellite images of marine shallow clouds are objectively classified into four distinct types, illuminating new ways to tackle a long-standing problem in climate predictions.
Posted inNews
Atmospheric Scientists Show Resilience in the Face of Lockdowns
As businesses, schools, and entire cities shut down to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, scientists have been forced to adapt to radically altered working conditions and data collection techniques.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Capturing Pluto’s Heartbeat in a Computer
Unprecedented global climate model simulations, incorporating observational data from the New Horizons mission, reveal atmospheric circulations driven by a large ice cap on Pluto.
Posted inNews
How Modern Emissions Compare to Ancient, Extinction-Level Events
Researchers find that a pulse of volcanic activity spanning several hundred years released as much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as anthropogenic emissions projections for the 21st century.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Why Is Climate More Sensitive in the Latest Earth System Models?
Compared with previous generations, current Earth system models predict that Earth’s climate is more sensitive to carbon dioxide. Where does the increased sensitivity come from?
Posted inAGU News
Goldstein Receives 2019 Yoram J. Kaufman Outstanding Research and Unselfish Cooperation Award
Allen H. Goldstein received the Yoram J. Kaufman Outstanding Research and Unselfish Cooperation Award at AGU’s Fall Meeting 2019, held 9–13 December in San Francisco, Calif. The award recognizes “broad influence in atmospheric science through exceptional creativity, inspiration of younger scientists, mentoring, international collaborations, and unselfish cooperation in research.”
Posted inNews
Mapping Lightning Strikes from Space
A new technique spatially tracks lightning in real time and has been adapted by the National Weather Service.
Posted inNews
Earth’s Skies Transmitted Signs of Life During Lunar Eclipse
Using upcoming ground- and space-based telescopes, scientists hope to make similar observations of the skies of distant, Earth-like exoplanets.