New simulations of how thunderstorms drive electrical currents through the Earth's atmosphere combine precision with computational speed.
everything atmospheric
Posted inScience Updates
Monitoring Gas Emissions Can Help Forecast Volcanic Eruptions
5th Meeting of the Network for Observation of Volcanic and Atmospheric Change; Turrialba Volcano, Costa Rica, 27 April to 1 May 2015
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Rethinking How Tropical Convection Works
Researchers look at previous Walker circulation models and ask, Does damping truly matter?
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Urbanization Threatens Drought-Reducing Clouds in California
Since the mid-20th century, increased urbanization along the southern California coast has raised nighttime temperatures, resulting in less morning fog and cloud cover.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Newly Discovered Properties of Elusive Gamma Ray Flashes
The properties of terrestrial gamma ray flashes have eluded scientists for years. This new study sheds light on how they originate.
Posted inScience Updates
Modeling the Stratosphere's "Heartbeat"
Quasibiennial Oscillation Modeling and Reanalysis Workshop; Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, 16–18 March 2015
Posted inScience Updates
Dispelling Clouds of Uncertainty
How do you build a climate model that accounts for cloud physics and the transitions between cloud regimes? Use MAGIC.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
New Ionosphere Model Incorporates Solar Angles
The decades-old theory of the layers of the Earth's ionosphere, which dates to 1931, has just received an update that takes into account the angle of the Sun.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
New Insights into Currents in Earth's Magnetic Field
Multisatellite missions give scientists a more complete view of the intense currents that bounce back and forth along our planet's magnetic field lines.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Regional Nuclear War Could Cause a Global Famine
A detonation of less than 0.03% of the current global nuclear arsenal could cause fires that clog the air with soot. This soot could block solar radiation, leading to worldwide crop shortages.