Highlight articles

Some features of www.egu.eu will not appear or function properly if your browser does not have JavaScript enabled, or does not support it.

This page features highlight articles from EGU's open access journals Climate of the Past, Earth System Dynamics, Geoscientific Model Development and Weather and Climate Dynamics. These articles of particular interest are selected by journal editors.

229 items found

10 20 50

A process-based evaluation of the Intermediate Complexity Atmospheric Research Model (ICAR) 1.0.1

This study conducts an in-depth process-based evaluation of the Intermediate Complexity Atmospheric Research (ICAR) model, employing idealized simulations to increase the understanding of the model and develop recommendations to maximize the probability that its results are correct for the right reasons. The results show that when model skill is evaluated from statistical metrics based on comparisons to surface observations only, such an analysis may not reflect the skill of the model in capturing atmospheric processes like gravity waves and cloud formation.

A global climatological perspective on the importance of Rossby wavebreaking and intense moisture transport for extreme precipitation events

Extreme precipitation events (EPEs) frequently cause flooding with dramatic socioeconomic impacts in many parts of the world.Previous studies considered two synoptic-scale processes, Rossby wave breaking and intense moisture transport, typically in isolation, and their linkage to such EPEs in several regions. This study presents for the first time a global and systematic climatological analysis of these two synoptic-scale processes, in tandem and in isolation, for the occurrence of EPEs.

Cryptotephra from the Icelandic Veiðivötn 1477 CE eruption in a Greenland ice core: confirming the dating of volcanic events in the 1450s CE and assessing the eruption’s climatic impact

Volcanic eruptions are a key source of climatic variability, and reconstructing their past impact can improve our understanding of the operation of the climate system and increase the accuracy of future climate projections. While many chronological mismatches have been resolved, the precise timing and climatic impact of two major sulfate-emitting volcanic eruptions during the 1450s  CE, including the largest atmospheric sulfate-loading event in the last 700 years, have not been constrained. Here we explore this issue through a combination of tephrochronological evidence and high-resolution ice-core chemistry measurements from a Greenland ice core, the TUNU2013 record.

A dynamical systems characterization of atmospheric jet regimes

Atmospheric jet streams are typically separated into primarily “eddy-driven” (or polar-front) jets and primarily “thermally driven” (or subtropical) jets. Here, we link the current understanding of dynamical jet maintenance mechanisms, mostly arising from conceptual or idealized models, to the phenomena observed in reanalysis data.

Lower oceanic δ13C during the last interglacial period compared to the Holocene

The last time in Earth’s history when high latitudes were warmer than during pre-industrial times was the last interglacial period (LIG, 129–116 ka  BP). Since the LIG is the most recent and best documented interglacial, it can provide insights into climate processes in a warmer world. However, some key features of the LIG are not well constrained, notably the oceanic circulation and the global carbon cycle. Here, we use a new database of LIG benthic δ13C to investigate these two aspects.

Development of a MetUM (v 11.1) and NEMO (v 3.6) coupled operational forecastmodel for the Maritime Continent – Part 1: Evaluation of ocean forecasts

This article describes the development and ocean forecast evaluation of an atmosphere–ocean coupled prediction system for the Maritime Continent (MC) domain, which includes the eastern Indian and western Pacific oceans. Overall, the model forecast deviation of SST, SSH, and subsurface temperature and salinity fields relative to observation is within acceptable error limits of operational forecast models.

Long-term global ground heat flux and continental heat storage from geothermal data

Here, we provide new global estimates of changes in ground surface temperature, ground surface heat flux, and continental heat storage derived from geothermal data using an expanded database and new techniques.

In situ cosmogenic 10Be–14C–26Al measurements from recently deglaciated bedrock as a new tool to decipher changes in Greenland Ice Sheet size

Sometime during the middle to late Holocene (8.2 ka to ∼ 1850–1900 CE), the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) was smaller than its current configuration. Contemporary retreat of the GrIS from its historical maximum extent in southwestern Greenland is exposing a landscape that holds clues regarding the configuration and timing of past ice-sheet minima.

Assessment of a full-field initialized decadal climate prediction system with the CMIP6 version of EC-Earth

In this paper, we present and evaluate the skill of an EC-Earth 3.3 decadal prediction system contributing to the Decadal Climate Prediction Project – Component A (DCPP-A). This prediction system is capable of skilfully simulating past global mean surface temperature variations at interannual and decadal forecast times as well as the local surface temperature in regions such as the tropical Atlantic, the Indian Ocean and most of the continental areas, although most of the skill comes from the representation of the external radiative forcings.

A new view of heat wave dynamics and predictability over the easternMediterranean

Skillful forecasts of extreme weather events have a major socioeconomic relevance. Here, we compare two complementary approaches to diagnose the predictability of extreme weather: recent developments in dynamical systems theory and numerical ensemble weather forecasts.

CL Climate: Past, Present & Future Highlight articles