Extremes in wet, dry spells increasing for South Asian monsoons, scholars say

Climate scientists and statisticians have found changing patterns in South Asian monsoons since 1980: more extreme wet and dry spells. In particular, the researchers observed increases in the intensity of wet spells and in the frequency of dry spells. The discoveries are the result of a new collaboration between climate scientists and statisticians that focused on utilizing statistical methods for analyzing rare geophysical events.
For the full article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140428121210.htm

Predicting drift of floating pumice 'islands' can benefit shipping

A new technique will aid in predicting the dispersal and drift patterns of large floating ‘islands’ of pumice created by volcanic eruptions at sea. Known as pumice rafts, these large mobile accumulations of pumice fragments can spread to affect a considerable area of the ocean, damaging vessels and disrupting shipping routes for months or even years. The ability to predict where these rafts will end up could give enough advance warning for protective measures to be put in place on shipping routes or in harbours where the presence of pumice is hazardous. 
For the full article:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140423132503.htm

Warm U.S. West, cold East: 4,000-year pattern; Global warming may bring more curvy jet streams during winter

According to a research team from the University of Utah, last winter’s curvy jet stream pattern brought mild temperatures to western North America and harsh cold to the East. A new study shows that pattern became more pronounced 4,000 years ago, and suggests it may worsen as Earth’s climate warms.

For the full article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140416090305.htm

Fire and drought may push Amazonian forests beyond tipping point

Future simulations of climate in the Amazon suggest a longer dry season leading to more drought and fires. Scientists have published a new study on the impacts of fire and drought on Amazon tree mortality. Their article found that prolonged droughts caused more intense and widespread wildfires, which consumed more forests in Amazonia than previously understood.

For the full article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140414154448.htm

NASA simulation portrays ozone intrusions from aloft

Outdoor enthusiasts in Colorado's Front Range are occasionally rewarded with remarkable visibility brought about by dry, clear air and wind. But it's what people in the mountainous U.S. West can't see in conditions like this -- ozone plunging down to the ground from high in the stratosphere, the second layer of the atmosphere -- that has attracted the interest of scientists, university scientists and air quality managers.
For the full article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140411091941.htm

Appearance of night-shining clouds has increased

First spotted in 1885, silvery blue clouds sometimes hover in the night sky near the poles, appearing to give off their own glowing light. Known as noctilucent clouds, this phenomenon began to be sighted at lower and lower latitudes -- between the 40th and 50th parallel -- during the 20th century, causing scientists to wonder if the region these clouds inhabit had indeed changed -- information that would tie in with understanding the weather and climate of all Earth.
For the full article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140411091939.htm

Natural variation: Warm North Atlantic Ocean promotes extreme winters in U.S. and Europe

The extreme cold weather observed across Europe and the east coast of the U.S. in recent winters could be partly down to natural, long-term variations in sea surface temperatures, according to a new study. Researchers have shown that a phenomenon known as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) -- a natural pattern of variation in North Atlantic sea surface temperatures that switches between a positive and negative phase every 60-70 years -- can affect an atmospheric circulation pattern, known as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), that influences the temperature and precipitation over the Northern Hemisphere in winter.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140401210414.htm

Corals don’t lie: Centuries of rising sea levels and temperature data revealed

According to the Australian Institute of Marine Science, researchers have analyzed coral cores from the eastern Indian Ocean to understand how the unique coral reefs of Western Australia are affected by changing ocean currents and water temperatures. The findings give new insights into how La Niña, a climate swing in the tropical Pacific, affects the Leeuwin current and how our oceans are changing.

For the full article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140401102120.htm

Seasonal Arctic summer ice extent still hard to forecast, study says

According to University College London, scientists have analyzed 300 summer Arctic sea ice forecasts from 2008 to 2013 and found that forecasts are quite accurate when sea ice conditions are close to the downward trend that has been observed in Arctic sea ice for the last 30 years. However, forecasts are not so accurate when sea ice conditions are unusually higher or lower compared to this trend.

For the full article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140327123648.htm 

Warming climate may spread drying to a third of earth: Heat, not just rainfall, plays into new projections

According to the Earth Institute at Columbia University, a new study estimates that 12 percent of land will be subject to drought by 2100 through rainfall changes alone; but the drying will spread to 30 percent of land if higher evaporation rates are considered. An increase in evaporative drying means that even regions expected to get more rain, including important wheat, corn and rice belts in the western United States and southeastern China, will be at risk of drought.

For the full article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140331144149.htm

Linking storms to climate change a 'distraction', say experts

Researchers at Manchester University argue that connecting extreme weather to climate change distracts from the need to protect society from high-impact weather events which will continue to happen irrespective of human-induced climate change, say experts. researchers argue that cutting greenhouse gas emissions, while crucial to reducing humanity’s longer-term impact on the planet, will not eliminate violent storms, tornadoes or flooding and the damage they cause.

For the full article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140320100946.htm

Southeast England most at risk of rising deaths due to climate change

Researchers at the Imperial College of London have come to the conclusion that warmer summers brought on by climate change will cause more deaths in London and southeast England than the rest of the country, scientists predict. In the most vulnerable districts, in London and the southeast, the odds of dying from cardiovascular or respiratory causes increased by over 10 per cent for every 1C rise in temperature. Districts in the far north were much more resilient, seeing no increase in deaths at equivalent temperatures.

For the full article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140323152000.htm

Number of days without rain to dramatically increase in some world regions

By the end of the 21st century, some parts of the world can expect as many as 30 more days a year without precipitation, according to a new study. Ongoing climate change caused by human influences will alter the nature of how rain and snow falls; areas that are prone to dry conditions will receive their precipitation in narrower windows of time. Computer model projections of future conditions indicate that regions such as the Amazon, Central America, Indonesia, and all Mediterranean climate regions around the world will likely see the greatest increase in the number of "dry days" per year, going without rain for as many as 30 days more every year. California, with its Mediterranean climate, is likely to have five to ten more dry days per year.

For more information visit:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140314095100.htm

New NASA Van Allen Probes observations helping to improve space weather models

Using data from NASA's Van Allen Probes, researchers have tested and improved a model to help forecast what's happening in the radiation environment of near-Earth space -- a place seething with fast-moving particles and a space weather system that varies in response to incoming energy and particles from the sun.

For more information visit: 
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140307165957.htm

Climate change puts wheat crops at risk of disease

There is a risk that severity of epidemics of some wheat diseases may increase within the next ten to twenty years due to the impacts of climate change according to a study by international researchers. The researchers carried out a survey in China to establish a link between weather and the severity of epidemics of fusarium ear blight on the wheat crops. This weather-based model was then used to predict the impact on severity of the disease of future weather scenarios for the period from 2020 to 2050.

For the full article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140226125252.htm

NASA-JAXA launch mission to measure global rain, snow

The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory, a joint Earth-observing mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), thundered into space at 10:37 a.m. PST Thursday, Feb. 27 (3:37 a.m. JST Friday, Feb. 28) from Japan. The four-ton spacecraft launched aboard a Japanese H-IIA rocket from Tanegashima Space Center on Tanegashima Island in southern Japan. The GPM spacecraft separated from the rocket 16 minutes after launch, at an altitude of 247 miles (398 kilometers). The solar arrays deployed 10 minutes after spacecraft separation, to power the spacecraft.

For the full article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140228104143.htm

Climate change won't reduce deaths in winter, British study concludes

According to an article published by the University of Exeter, climate change is unlikely to reduce the United Kingdom's excess winter death rate, which was a previous hypothesis. The study debunks the widely held view that warmer winters will cut the number of deaths normally seen at the coldest time of year. The study found that from 1951 to 1971, the number of cold winter days was strongly linked to death rates, while from 1971 to 1991, both the number of cold days and flu activity were responsible for increased death rates. However, their analysis showed that from 1991 to 2011, flu activity alone was the main cause in year to year variation in winter mortality.

For the full article:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140223131711.htm

Extreme weather caused by climate change decides distribution of insects, study shows

According to a post published on February 20, 2014 by Aarhus University, extreme weather caused by climate change in the upcoming decades is likely to have profound implications for distributions of insects and other invertebrates. This is suggested by a new study of insects in tropical and temperate regions of Australia. "Our predictions are that some species would disappear entirely in the next few decades, even when they have a fairly wide distribution that currently covers hundreds of kilometers”, the researchers conclude. 


For the full article: 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140220161312.htm

Arctic marine mammals are ecosystem sentinels

            As the Arctic continues to see dramatic declines in seasonal sea ice, warming temperatures and increased storminess, the responses of marine mammals can provide clues to how the ecosystem is responding to these physical drivers.

            Seals, walruses and polar bears rely on seasonal sea ice for habitat and must adapt to the sudden loss of ice, while migratory species such as whales appear to be finding new prey, altering migration timing and moving to new habitats.

For full article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140213153534.htmFor full article: 

Weather changes may be linked with stroke hospitalization, death

According to the American Heart Association, stroke hospitalization and death rates may be associated with changes in environmental temperature and dew point. Large daily temperature changes and higher average dew points may be linked with higher stroke hospitalizations. Research presented at the 2014 American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conferences suggests, weather is not something people would typically associate with stroke risk, however, we've found weather conditions are among the multiple factors that are associated with stroke hospitalizations," said Judith H. Lichtman, Ph.D., M.P.H. Researchers identified a nationwide sample of 134,510 people and found that:

•    Larger daily temperature changes and higher average dew point (indicating higher air moisture) were associated with higher stroke hospitalization rates.

•    Lower average annual temperatures were associated with stroke hospitalizations and death.

•    With each 1°F increase in average temperature, there was a 0.86 percent decrease in the odds of stroke hospitalization and a 1.1 percent decrease in the odds of dying in the hospital after stroke.

Increases in daily temperature fluctuation and average dew point were associated with increased odds of stroke hospitalization, but not with dying in the hospital.

For full article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140212112559.htm