New research is helping scientists understand why moisture-laden atmospheric rivers of similar intensities have different effects on land.
precipitation
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.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Machine Learning Improves Satellite Rainfall Estimates
A new deep learning approach bridges ground rain gauge and radar data with spaceborne radar observations of Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission to improve precipitation estimation.
Posted inNews
Ancient Precipitation Reveals Clues About Mountains and Climate
By studying the chemical signatures of 300-million-year-old precipitation, researchers find evidence that the supercontinent Pangea contained peaks as tall as the European Alps.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
A New Proxy for Past Precipitation
Researchers used luminescence signals from marine sediment cores to bolster estimates of precipitation levels on land over the past 30,000 years.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Hydrological Footprint of Atmospheric Rivers on Land
Atmospheric rivers that make landfall in the western United States have significant impacts on the surface water balance, sharpening the seasonality of water resources in coastal watersheds.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Accounting for the Fact that Snow Falls Slower than Rain
When calibrating satellite observations with ground-based ones, estimated precipitation rates are improved by considering that snow takes longer to fall compared to rain.
Posted inNews
Rainfall Kick-Starts Slow-Moving Landslides
A census of hundreds of slow-moving landslides in Northern California reveals an uptick in the number and speed of landslides in 2017, the second-wettest year on record.
Posted inNews
Congo Rain Forest Endures a Longer Dry Season
The forest’s dry season has been starting earlier and ending later for decades, making parts of it vulnerable to incursions by drought-resistant ecosystems.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
One Step Closer to a Milestone in Climate Modeling
A pair of revisions to the Energy Exascale Earth System Model improves its ability to capture late afternoon and nocturnal rainfall as well as the timing and movement of convection.