A reexamination of the global water cycle shows that tropical coastlines exert a profound influence on atmospheric water circulation by wringing water vapor from the atmosphere.
tropics
Posted inNews
Major Federal Tropical Research Project to Cease 7 Years Early
The Department of Energy shutters a project aimed at improving climate models less than halfway through the expected decade-long run.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Is Global Warming Suppressing Canonical El Niño?
A study explores the relationship between diverse El Niño events and the background state of the tropical Pacific.
Posted inAGU News
Karnauskas Receives 2017 Ocean Sciences Early Career Award
Kristopher B. Karnauskas will receive the 2017 Ocean Sciences Early Career Award at the 2017 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, to be held 11–15 December in New Orleans, La. The award recognizes “significant contributions to and promise in the ocean sciences.”
Posted inNews
Panama Study: Tallest Tropical Trees Died Mostly from Lightning
On Barro Colorado Island in the Panama Canal, scientists map lightning strikes and find that they kill mainly the loftiest trees, likely disturbing the forest ecology.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Follow Earthworm Tracks to Better Simulate Water Flow in Soils
Incorporating paths carved by the critters and by tree roots helps scientists align simulations of tropical soils more closely with real-world data.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
What Makes the Biggest Cycle in Tropical Weather Tick?
The Madden-Julian Oscillation drives storms across the Indian and Pacific oceans every 30 to 60 days. New research suggests that clouds absorbing and reemitting radiative energy play a key role.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How "Godzilla" El Niño Affected Tropical Fish in Low-Oxygen Zone
A warm period unexpectedly boosted some species of fish larvae off the coast of Mexico.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Earth's Carbon-Climate Feedbacks Varied in Past Warming Episodes
Records from drill holes in the eastern equatorial Pacific indicate that Earth's orbital eccentricity played an important role in controlling climate as the planet warmed.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Clouds in Climate Models of a Simulated Water-Covered Earth
Researchers use aquaplanet experiments to zero in on the effects of small-scale processes in the tropics that cause discrepancies between climate models.