Researchers use aquaplanet experiments to zero in on the effects of small-scale processes in the tropics that cause discrepancies between climate models.
tropics
Posted inScience Updates
Closing the Pacific Rainfall Data Void
A new climatology tool uses satellite data to map precipitation in a data-sparse region of the Pacific Ocean.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Do Tropical Forests Slow Knickpoints in Rivers?
Using Puerto Rico's Luquillo Mountains as a case study, scientists use the region's geological history to study how knickpoints—areas where there's a sharp change in the river's slope—move over time.
Posted inNews
El Niño Will Increase Atmospheric Carbon to Historic Levels
Tropical fires and drought-stricken ecosystems that normally serve as sinks will release carbon, contributing to high atmospheric concentrations through 2016 and beyond.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Climate Change Influences the Dynamics Behind Tropical Cyclones
A new model reveals how cumulus convection, humidity, and tropical circulations interact as global temperatures rise.
Posted inScience Updates
How Do Climate Variations Affect the Width of the Tropics?
The Width of the Tropics: Climate Variations and Their Impacts; Santa Fe, New Mexico, 27–31 July 2015
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Radar Study Examines Pulsing Tropical Climate
In the Madden-Julian Oscillation, shear forces caused by air layers slipping and sliding near the equator play a critical role in forming enormous thunderstorms and monsoons.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Illuminating the Controls of Convection
Researchers compare observations and models of air circulation over the tropics to determine if simulations capture how the environment shapes convection.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Methyl Chloride Can Track Tropical Air in the Lower Stratosphere
A new study shows that trace gas samples collected aboard commercial airliners can be used to determine the origin and dynamics of atmospheric air masses.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
New Insights into the Complicated World of Tropical Convection
New study identifies key variables that move solar heat from the ocean to the troposphere in the tropics.