Category Archives: Climate

A tale of two extremes

Posted on 01/16/2013 by wordpressadmin

Weather extremes have become a common theme in the news headlines the past few weeks. For example, nearly every part of the United States has been experiencing one of two extremes – either frigid cold or record-breaking high temperatures. Places … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Temperature, Climate, Climate Change, Earth System Science, Field Campaigns | 1 Comment

The chicken and egg story of global warming and extreme droughts: A lesson on climate feedbacks

Posted on 12/19/2012 by wordpressadmin

I recently read that the extreme drought in western North America during 2000-2004 actually resulted in more carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere. In the article in Nature Geoscience, it explained that such droughts can further enhance global warming. … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Climate Change, Earth System Science | Leave a comment

ENSO Basics: What’s up with the weather?

Posted on 11/28/2012 by wordpressadmin

In the first post in this series, we looked at what ENSO is. Remember that the atmosphere and oceans are always moving, and in general, those movements follow a specified pattern. When the movement deviates from normal, to either an … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Climate Change, Earth System Science | Leave a comment

ESNO Basics: What is it?

Posted on 11/14/2012 by wordpressadmin

Through many posts here on the Scientists’ Blog, we, in one way or another, discuss ENSO.  ENSO, or El Niño-Southern Oscillation, is a quasi-periodic climate pattern that occurs in the tropical Pacific Ocean.  When the conditions change, the atmosphere responds … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Climate Change, Earth System Science, General Science | 1 Comment

Non-stationarity: New vocabulary for a changing climate

Posted on 11/08/2012 by wordpressadmin

A few years ago I attended a workshop for early career scientists to discuss frontiers in integrated water-climate-society vulnerability and adaptation science. This interdisciplinary area of science focuses on the need for using scientific information to not only identify communities … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Climate Change, Earth System Science | Leave a comment