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Water vapour isotope anomalies during an atmospheric river event at Dome C, East Antarctica

In December 2018, an atmospheric river event from the Atlantic reached Dome C, East Antarctica, causing a +18 °C warming, tripled water vapour, and a strong isotopic anomaly in water vapour (+ 17 ‰ for δ¹⁸O) at the surface. During the peak of the event, we found 70 % of the water vapour came from local snow sublimation, and 30 % from the atmospheric river itself, highlighting both long-range moisture advection and interactions between the boundary layer and the snowpack.

Phytoplankton blooms affect microscale differences of oxygen and temperature across the sea surface microlayer

Microsensors measuring oxygen and temperature were used to gain high-resolution profiles across the surface of a water basin, in which an algal bloom was induced. These novel data show that the oxygen at the sea surface is highly influenced by algal blooms, while the temperature is only indirectly affected by them. Since algal blooms occur globally, this has considerable implications for calculating global air-sea exchanges of gases or heat, especially under low-wind conditions.

The largest crop production shocks: magnitude, causes and frequency

Large crop failures happen regularly around the world, threatening food security. We analyzed sixty years of global crop production data and found that every country has experienced major crop losses. Climate events like droughts cause most severe disruptions, with some African nations losing up to eighty percent of production. While global crop shocks above five percent are rare, regional disruptions occur frequently. These findings show our food system faces regular large-scale threats.

Operational numerical weather prediction with ICON on GPUs (version 2024.10)

The ICON climate and numerical weather prediction model was fully ported to Graphical Processing Units (GPUs) using OpenACC compiler directives, covering all components required for operational weather prediction. The GPU port together with several performance optimizations led to a speed-up of 5.6× when comparing to traditional Central Processing Units (CPUs) . Thanks to this adaptation effort, MeteoSwiss became the first national weather service to run the ICON model operationally on GPUs.

High resolution monthly precipitation isotope estimates across Australia from machine learning

We used a random forest approach to produce estimates of monthly precipitation stable isotope variability from 1962–2023, at high resolution across the entire Australian continent. Comprehensive skill and sensitivity testing shows that our random forest models skilfully predict precipitation isotope values in places and times that observations are not available. We make all outputs freely available, facilitating use in fields from ecology and hydrology to archaeology and forensic science.

Remineralisation changes dominate oxygen variability in the North Atlantic

Oxygen is essential to marine life, but the amount of oxygen in the ocean has been decreasing in recent decades. Using observations of oxygen concentration interpolated across a section of the subtropical North Atlantic Ocean, we show that deoxygenation in the region is primarily driven by an increase in oxygen being consumed during remineralisation of organic matter. The impact of this is strongest at depths of around 600 m, where the process drives up to 70 % of the total deoxygenation.

Positive feedbacks drive the Greenland ice sheet evolution in millennial-length MAR–GISM simulations under a high-end warming scenario

To study Greenland ice sheet–atmosphere interactions, we coupled an ice sheet model to a regional climate model and performed simulations of differing coupling complexity over 1000 years under a high-warming climate scenario. They reveal that at first melt at the ice sheet margin is reduced by changing wind patterns. But over time, as the ice sheet melts and its surface lowers, precipitation patterns and cloudiness also change and amplify ice mass loss over the entire ice sheet.

Compounded effects of long-term warming and the exceptional 2023 marine heatwave on North Atlantic coccolithophore bloom dynamics

In 2023, an exceptional marine heatwave occurred in the North Atlantic ocean. This study evaluates changes in G.huxleyi dynamics showing bloom decline in the Celtic Sea and reaching unprecedented levels in the Barents Sea. These shifts reflect the direct impact of temperature extremes driven by human-induced climate change with major effects on ocean life and carbon cycle. Continuous monitoring is vital to understand and monitor regional adaptation of marine ecosystems.

Global projections of aridity index for mid and long-term future based on CMIP6 scenarios

Our study investigates global dryland dynamics and aridification under future climate scenarios. By employing the Food and Agriculture Organisation Aridity Index and an ensemble of 13 models from the 6th Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, we provide projections for dryland distribution and aridity index across three shared socio-economic pathways (2-4.5, 3-7.0, and 5-8.5) for the near-term (2030–2059) and for the long-term (2070–2099) future.

Review of climate simulation by Simple Climate Models

Simple Climate Models (SCMs) are widely used tools to explore how Earth's climate may change in the future. In recent decades, the number and types of SCMs have increased significantly, hindering efforts to understand cross-model differences. In this study, we provide an overview of the main principles guiding climate simulation by SCMs, as well as a description of most high-profile SCMs. This work offers a clear reference to support the informed use of these important tools.

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