Heatwaves are becoming more frequent around the world. And while rising temperatures caused by greenhouse gas emissions are part of the problem, the declining levels of aerosols — the small particles that make up smog and air pollution — may be driving the rise even more, particularly in populated areas.

Forests, grasslands, and other natural areas around the world have access to about a quarter less nitrogen than previously estimated, according to a new study published today in Nature. Coauthored by Sarah Batterman, an ecologist at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, findings have implications for natural climate solutions, as nitrogen is essential to plant growth and thus the removal of carbon from the atmosphere.

Drawing inspiration from the veinous ears of jackrabbits and elephants, Drexel University researchers have come up with a new approach to passive heating and cooling that could one day make buildings more energy efficient. Their concept, recently published in the Journal of Building Engineering, embeds a vascular network within cement-based building materials that, when filled with paraffin-based material, can help passively regulate the surface temperature of walls, floors and ceilings.

The Southwest United States is currently facing its worst megadrought of the past 1,200 years. According to a recent study from The University of Texas at Austin, the drought could continue at least until the end of the century, if not longer.

New research helps narrow down uncertainties in near-term precipitation projections for the Asian Water Tower

Current climate models have so far been unable to adequately reproduce the clouds over the Southern Ocean around Antarctica. An international team has now taken an important step towards filling this gap: The researchers were able to prove that the majority of ice nuclei in the atmosphere there are due to sugar compounds from marine microorganisms in the seawater. They enter the clean air above the sea through sea spray and evaporation, causing water droplets to freeze and thus affecting cloud and precipitation formation. Ice formation in clouds has a major influence on the climate as ice particles in clouds reflect sunlight much more strongly than pure water clouds. These results emphasize the importance of biological sources for precipitation formation in remote marine regions such as around the Antarctic, as researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) and the Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø recently published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Jet streams are often referred to as the “motor” of global weather: High-altitude wind currents steer areas of high and low pressure, playing a crucial role in shaping our weather.  However, how these atmospheric flows are affected by climate change remains uncertain. Now, a team of climate scientists from Leipzig University, working with other research institutions, has developed a new method that enables a deeper understanding of what is referred to as the Eddy-Driven Jet in the Southern Hemisphere. This advance paves the way for more accurate predictions in the coming years about how this wind belt may respond to climate change.