Stratospheric winds deflect acoustic waves from the oceans. With the right data and the math to analyze them, these waves tell us about the weather aloft.
wind
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Can the North Brazil Current Help Us Understand Atlantic Water Flow?
Currents off the coast of northern Brazil can be used to study changes in the larger oceanic circulation pattern in the Atlantic, when variable winds in the regions are properly accounted for.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
New Atmospheric Wave May Shape Venus's Clouds
A novel model suggests that a new wave may be responsible for Venus's iconic Y pattern.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
What Formed These Curious Ripples on Mars?
Dunes, ridges, or something else? Scientists seek to understand the origins of transverse aeolian ridges.
Posted inScience Updates
A Weather Eye on Coastal Winds
New satellite radar image-processing system provides wind speed maps with an unprecedented degree of precision. Such maps will help coastal communities prepare for wind-related hazards.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Could Amazonian Deforestation Increase Cloudiness and Rain?
In trading trees for pastures, patchwork differences in vegetation heights increase cloudiness in downwind regions.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Exploring How Wind Blows Sand on Dunes
Sand dunes migrate—so why haven’t some budged in 60 years?
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Polar Warming Makes the Jet Stream Stable, Not Wavy or Blocked
An idealized climate model suggests polar warming stabilizes the jet stream and reduces atmospheric blocking at midlatitudes.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Variability in Atlantic Circulation Partly Driven by Wind
Models and observations indicate that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation exhibits surprising short-term variability, driven largely by wind.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Comparing Models for Soil Erosion Due to Wind
Researchers investigate the impact of vegetation on erosion.