A new large-scale Ward-type tornado simulator has been built at Central South University in 2023. Stationary tornado-like vortices are generated and tested to explore the characteristics of the velocity field and surface pressure field. The results show the significant influence of swirl ratios and little influence of fan speeds on vortex structures. The simulator has the good capability of generating tornado-like vortices.

A research team led by Associate Professor Koji Iwano at Okayama University of Science has been awarded the 2025 MEXT Award for Science and Technology for groundbreaking work in improving typhoon forecasting and climate change prediction. By constructing Japan’s only large-scale indoor typhoon simulation tank, the team succeeded in precisely measuring momentum, heat, and CO₂ exchanges at the air-sea interface under extreme wind conditions. Their findings reveal how these transfers shift dramatically beyond wind speeds of 30 m/s, offering critical insights for refining global climate models and developing future typhoon mitigation strategies.

El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is known to have a significant impact on climate across the Pacific, including Hawai‘i, and adjacent continents. However, new research led by University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa atmospheric scientists revealed that the Pacific Meridional Mode (PMM), another climate pattern that operates in the eastern Pacific Ocean, plays a major role in the variability of rainfall in Hawai‘i.

On May 10, 2024, the first G5 or “severe” geomagnetic storm in over two decades hit Earth. The event, named the Gannon storm in memory of leading space weather physicist Jennifer Gannon, did not cause any catastrophic damages. But a year on, key insights from the Gannon storm are helping us understand and prepare for future geomagnetic storms.

A research team led by POSTECH Professor Hyung Joo Lee found that NO₂ exposure levels were consistently higher in areas with higher socioeconomic status—an outcome shaped by South Korea’s distinctive history of rapid economic development and urban planning.