Previous studies report that extreme temperature events will occur more often and become more extreme in the future, yet there is no consensus on how much this increased likelihood of extreme heat events is due to a shift of temperature distribution mean or a changed temperature distribution shape. In a recent paper, led by AOS postdoc Suqin…

The Cape Town “Day Zero” drought was caused by an exceptional 3-year rainfall deficit. Combined with management practices and infrastructure shortcomings, the drought caused one of the most serious water crises ever experienced in any heavily populated metropolitan area, with extensive economic impacts.  Through the use of a higher-resolution…

The atmospheric model documented in this study, AM4.1, marks the culmination of GFDL’s 4th-generation model development effort that included comprehensive revisions of atmospheric dynamics, physics, and chemistry, and biogeochemical coupling to land…

The most active Atlantic hurricane season on record began two weeks ahead of schedule and ended on November 30, 2020. Overall, this season was one for the record books. There were 30 named storms (meaning storms where top winds were 39 miles per hour or greater instead of the average 12). Of those storms, 13 were hurricanes (top winds of 74 mph…

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has elected AOS Senior Meteorologist Isaac Held as an AAAS Fellow. Fellows are elected each year for their contributions to STEM disciplines, including pioneering research, leadership within a given field, teaching and mentoring, fostering…

The Earth system model documented in this study, ESM4.1, marks the culmination of GFDL’s 4th generation model development effort that included comprehensive revisions of atmospheric dynamics, physics and chemistry, ocean physics, biogeochemistry and ecosystems, sea ice, and land physics, biogeochemistry and ecosystems. These efforts were merged…

The National Weather Service has run out of letters for hurricanes in this record-breaking season, which is why tropical storms have started to sound like

Measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 through non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) such as mask wearing and social distancing are a key tool in combatting the impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. These actions also have greatly reduced incidence of many other diseases, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Hurricane Eta is the ninth named storm and fifth consecutive hurricane to rapidly intensify this year, a phenomenon that has doubled in proportion since 1982. Models indicate that climate change increases the…