Modeling Archives

Two maps showing surface temperature with different colors. The first map is for the period of 1871-1980 and the second is for the period of 1981-2010.

A Dilemma About Radiative Climate Feedback in Recent Decades

by Minghua Zhang 30 September 202228 September 2022

Given the unambiguous climate warming in recent decades, is it possible to infer radiative climate feedback from modern satellite measurements of the energy budget of the Earth?

Photograph of USGS scientists collecting soil and worms at a site on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, that was contaminated by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

Editors' Vox

Widespread “Forever Chemicals” in Subsurface Environments

by Dengjun Wang and Xueyan Lyu 30 September 202230 September 2022

Massive use of materials containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in commercial and industrial sectors has led to their widespread occurrence in subsurface environments.

Aerial view of a muddy river delta with meandering stream channels emanating from a river emerging from a forest

Research Spotlights

When Projecting Coastal Resilience, Sediment Compaction Is Key

by Morgan Rehnberg 30 September 202230 September 2022

The addition of new sediment helps build up lowland environments like deltas and marshes, but it also compacts materials beneath it—a vital, but often overlooked, factor in landscape evolution studies.

A bright red, orange, and yellow thermal image of London and the surrounding area maps hotter and cooler areas of the city. The center of the image is the city of London, which is yellow, indicating that it is hotter than surrounding suburbs, which appear in varying shades of orange and red. The suburbs tend to become cooler, and appear darker red, moving toward the edges of the image. The River Thames snakes from right to left across the center of the image. It and several water reservoirs to the left of center are black, indicating that they are much cooler than the neighboring land.

Research Spotlights

Satellites Can Accurately Take Earth’s Temperature

by Rebecca Dzombak 28 September 202228 September 2022

Satellite-based measurements of land surface temperature may prove to be an essential pairing with near-surface air temperatures to understand global warming and cooling trends.

Figure 1 from the paper, showing a schematic of key processes controlling coastal carbon dynamics.

Editors' Highlights

Substantial Advance Towards a Global Coastal Carbon Model

by Andreas Oschlies 27 September 202226 September 2022

First simulations of a new biogeochemistry-circulation coastal grid refinement demonstrate seamless inclusion of small-scale coastal processes in a state-of-the-art Earth system model.

An optical astronomy image shows hundreds of stars in shades of blue, white, yellow, and red, with a dark band of dust running horizontally across the image. The stars are a range of sizes, from bright blue spots to no more than pinpricks.

News

Massive Stars May Commit Grand Theft Planet

by Kimberly M. S. Cartier 23 September 202223 September 2022

New simulations show that planets around young, massive stars may have been captured or stolen rather than homegrown.

Air bubbles rise from a scuba diver who is looking at a coral reef.

Research Spotlights

Unchecked Ocean Warming Threatens Many Gulf and Caribbean Corals

by Rachel Fritts 23 September 202223 September 2022

Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean sea surface temperatures could surpass coral bleaching thresholds in the region as soon as 2050, motivating the need for prompt mitigation, researchers say.