Forecasting real world, short-term climate trends may soon be possible, thanks to new tools being developed by NASA. Oceanographer David Adamec and a team of scientists are using satellite measurements and conventional temperature readings of the oceans to drive an advanced computer simulation depicting seasonal to annual changes in the land and atmosphere.
The first large-scale pictures of the hidden machinations of Earths magnetic force field were captured by the IMAGE spacecraft. The new imaging technology offers unprecedented views of the transparent, electrified gas trapped within Earth's magnetic field, providing the first visual, global perspective on magnetic storms.
A decrease in rainfall over the Indian Ocean may give the world the earliest signal that a strong El Niño is about to start.
Warmer surface temperatures over summer months in the Antarctic can splinter an ice shelf and prime it for a major collapse. The added pressure from surface water filling crevasses can crack the ice entirely through.
The world can expect more months with unusually high or low rainfall if El Niños and La Niñas increase. Researchers have noted a higher frequency of these major events over the last 21 years.
Researchers show why the eastern half of the United States has shown a cooling trend. New climate model results indicate that these cooler temperatures are caused by an increase in sun-shielding clouds produced by warmer ocean temperatures in the Pacific.