New insights from observations and theory suggest that the essential drivers of Earth’s summer monsoons are not as obvious as was previously thought.
precipitation
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Heavy Rain and Drought Influence California Crustal Strain
New research using continuous GPS data reveals how multiyear precipitation patterns can amplify the effects of hydrological loading on crustal deformation.
Posted inNews
Dirty Trees Shape Earth’s Hydrologic and Carbon Cycles
Researchers peer into precipitation partitioning—the process by which plants and the organic matter coating them help shape the hydrologic cycle.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Regional Sensitivities Strongly Affect Modeled Climate Extremes
Analysis of temperature and precipitation extremes in two generations of CMIP climate models revealed similarities in regional climate sensitivities, contrasting with divergent global sensitivities.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Ice from Above: Toward a Better Understanding of Hailstorms
Globally relevant and locally devastating, hailstorms produce significant societal impacts; despite this, our understanding of hailstorms and our ability to predict them is still limited.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
A New Dataset of Temperature and Precipitation Extremes
HadEX3 is an updated dataset of gridded temperature and precipitation extremes, that covers the period of 1901 to 2018 and has improved spatio-temporal coverage.
Posted inNews
Precipitation Plays a Key Role in Glacial Erosion
After comparing the climatic conditions at dozens of glaciers worldwide, researchers find that precipitation, not temperature, is the leading environmental factor driving glacial erosion.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Microphysics and Positive Lightning in Hokuriku Winter Clouds
The microphysics of the frequent, and frequently positive, lightning of Hokuriku winter clouds was investigated by systematic, in situ observation of individual precipitation particle type and charge.
Posted inNews
Atmospheric Rivers Have Different “Flavors”
New research is helping scientists understand why moisture-laden atmospheric rivers of similar intensities have different effects on land.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Atmospheric Rivers Trigger Heavy Snowmelt in Western USA
A rare atmospheric phenomenon that transports large quantities of water vapor into the coastal watersheds of the western USA is responsible for up to 10–20% of intense snowmelt events in the region.