Wildfires create airborne plumes of organic and inorganic matter as they burn. These particles can nucleate cloud-forming ice crystals and affect cloud dynamics, precipitation, and climate.
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
Measurements of Ozone-Depleting Chemicals in the Asian Monsoon
New high-altitude aircraft observations identify unexpected high levels of halogen-containing species entering the stratosphere above the summertime Asian monsoon.
Deciphering Reactive Nitrogen Emissions from Wildfire Smoke
In-situ data gathered from an aircraft flying over 23 western US wildfires in 2018 reveal the importance of reduced nitrogen, shedding insights on ozone and aerosol formation from wildfires.
Devastation of Hurricane Maria to Puerto Rican Landscape
The destructive winds and rain of Hurricane Maria in 2017 caused a dramatic transformation to Puerto Rico’s landscape and altered the characteristics of land-air interaction.
Climate Modeling Progress in the Past 15 Years
An assessment and comparison of the performances of climate models participating in three phases of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP3, CMIP5 and CMIP6).
Newly Identified Instabilities Enhance Atmospheric Turbulence
New high-resolution imaging and modeling reveal the first evidence of enhanced turbulence due to gravity wave modulation of Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities.
An Extraordinary Winter in the Polar North
An exceptionally strong stratospheric polar vortex coincided with a record-breaking Arctic Oscillation pattern and ozone destruction during the 2019–2020 winter season.
Gravity Waves Leave Ripples Across a Glowing Night Sky
A thunderstorm made waves on a rare “bright night.”
Comparing Impacts of CO2 and Particle Emission Reductions
Black carbon contained in airborne particles is often cited as a major factor warming the climate, but how much can California reduce climate change through reducing airborne particle concentrations?
A New Look at Global Lightning from the Space Station
The Lightning Imaging Sensor on the International Space Station provides an expanded view of global lightning that improves scientific understanding of the Earth as well as public safety.