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European Geosciences Union

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2063 items found

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Love number computation within the Ice-sheet and Sea-level System Model (ISSM v4.24)

Presented here is a new model of the solid-Earth response to tides and mass changes in ice sheets, oceans, and groundwater, in of terms of gravity change and bedrock motion. The model is capable simulating mantle deformation including elasticity, transient and steady-state viscous flow. We detail our approach to numerical optimization, and report the accuracy of results with respect to community benchmarks. The resulting coupled system features kilometer-scale resolution and fast computation.

Impact of spectral aerosol radiative forcing at the Izaña observatory during the August 2023 extreme wildfires

This study presents a unique near-source observational analysis of the spectral radiative effects of extreme biomass-burning aerosols during the August 2023 wildfire on Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain). The exceptional proximity of the wildfire to the Izaña Observatory (2400 m a.s.l.) enabled a rare characterisation of aerosol optical properties, spectral solar irradiance, and surface radiative forcing under free-tropospheric conditions.

Climate change drove Late Miocene to Pliocene rise and fall of C₄ vegetation at the crossroads of Africa and Eurasia (Anatolia, Türkiye)

We present a new stable carbon isotope dataset from Anatolian Late Miocene to Holocene soil carbonates, which reveals that C₄ grasslands emerged during Late Miocene Cooling. Uniquely, Anatolia saw a persistent return to C₃ vegetation in the Early Pliocene, which impacted mammal populations. We link the return to C₃vegetation to changes in rainfall seasonality, thereby tying ecosystem responses to climatic shifts in a hotspot of projected anthropogenic climatic change.

High-latitude eddy statistics from SWOT compared with in situ observations

We use new observations from the Surface Water and Ocean Topography Mission (SWOT) satellite to reveal the structure of ocean eddies in the Labrador Sea at unprecedented resolution. By comparison with ship-based measurements, we show that SWOT reliably detects these features even at high latitudes, where conventional altimetry is limited. Our results provide the first detailed view of mesoscale eddies in the Labrador Sea and highlight SWOT's potential in polar regions.

Modelling primary production: multitude of theories, or multitude of languages?

Marine primary production (PP) is a key component of the Earth's climate system, but its current estimates and future projections are highly uncertain. We review the PP uncertainties and discuss their sources both across the ecosystem and satellite models. We propose to reduce the PP uncertainties by better addressing the PP model structures and parametrizations. We also argue that for many models it is desirable to consider spatial and temporal variability in the model parameter values.

Developing Guidelines for working with Multi-Model Ensembles in CMIP

Multi-model ensembles are a key approach in climate model analysis, but their use involves many complex considerations. In this work, we review relevant literature and synthesize existing studies to contribute to the development of guidelines for designing and conducting ensemble analyses. This is complemented by a collection of useful resources and a discussion of emerging trends, supported by statistics tracing the number of publications.

The Scotland–Canada overturning array (SCOTIA): twenty years of meridional overturning in the subpolar North Atlantic

The Atlantic ocean circulation that helps regulate climate is expected to weaken this century. Long-term measurements in the subtropics now show signs of weakening, but northern data are shorter and more variable. By combining several observing systems, we reconstructed northern circulation since 2004 and found strong ups and downs, but no clear long-term weakening so far.

Coastal process understanding through automated identification of recurring surface dynamics in permanent laser scanning data of a sandy beach

We developed a new method to automatically detect and group short-term topographic changes on sandy beaches using hourly 3D laser scans collected over three years. By distinguishing variations in patterns of sand deposition and erosion, the approach allows scientists to study how beaches change at different moments in time and link these changes to environmental conditions like winds, waves or bulldozers, improving understanding and prediction of dynamics of sandy beaches.

First Alps-wide reconstruction of LGM glacial sediment transport enabled by GPU-accelerated particle tracking

This study reconstructs for the first time the transport-pathways of sediments by glaciers during the last glaciation of the European Alps, 24000 years ago. This helps us understand how the European Alps were shaped by past glaciations and helps us better constrain the mechanisms of iceflow, glacier erosion and the movement of large sediment masses by ice. This breakthrough is achieved by coupling a smart particle-tracking algorithm to a machine-learning-enhanced glacier evolution model.

Quantification of the influence of anthropogenic and natural factors on the record-high temperatures in 2023 and 2024

Global mean surface temperature anomalies in 2023 and 2024 were the highest on the modern record. We quantify contributions to these anomalies from human activity, including the steep reduction in sulfur emissions from ships that began in 2020, and numerous natural factors. We attribute about 92% of the observed anomalies to a combination of various human-induced and natural factors, including important contributions from the reduction in marine sulfur emissions and the Indian Ocean Dipole.

A method for quantifying correlation in the shape of oceanographic profile data

Oceanographic profiles comprise measurements of variables across depths. Here, a method is presented to calculate the correlation between profiling datasets by quantifying profile shape variability. This enables dependencies between multiple variables, and spatial or temporal changes in a single variable, to be described. Two case studies demonstrate the method using profiling data from a stationary mooring and drifting floats.

Review article: 30 years of airborne radar surveys on the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets by the Alfred Wegener Institute

This review synthesizes 30 years of Alfred Wegener Institute’s (AWI) airborne radar research in Antarctica and Greenland, detailing six radar systems and their applications in studying ice dynamics, basal properties, and subglacial landscapes. Moreover, it introduces the public release of AWI's airborne radar datasets via the Radar Data over Polar Ice Sheets Viewer and PANGAEA, ensuring findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable access for future polar research.

Ideas and perspectives: Mineralizing fluid control on foreign elements in biogenic CaCO₃: insights from otoliths

Fish otolith formation is key for understanding the incorporation of elements into biominerals. It is often assumed that the final step of biomineralization consists of inorganic precipitation as the fluid where biominerals form can hardly be sampled. Thanks to fish ear anatomy, this can be overcome with otoliths. By comparing otolith formation and inorganic precipitation, we proved that this assumption is not always true. Our findings could refine models and shed light on biomineralization.

Technical note: High Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiencies conceal poor simulations of interannual variance in seasonal regimes

Common metrics used to evaluate hydrologic models make it relatively easy to achieve high performance scores in highly seasonal catchments. However, we analysed 18 hydrologic models and found that almost all were worse at simulating interannual variability and change in seasonal streamflow regimes. This suggests that climate change impacts on streamflow may not be accurately predicted in highly seasonal tropical, alpine, and polar regions, which are highly vulnerable to climate change.

Multi-hazard risk assessment and management: pathways for the Sendai Framework and beyond

Natural hazards like floods, earthquakes, and landslides are often interconnected which may create bigger problems than when they occur alone. We studied expert discussions from an international conference to understand how scientists and policymakers can better prepare for these multi-hazards and use new technologies to protect its communities while contributing to dialogues about future international agreements beyond the Sendai Framework and supporting global sustainability goals.

Evaluation of stratospheric transport in three generations of Chemistry-Climate Models

Accurate representation of stratospheric transport in Chemistry-Climate Models is essential for reliable climate projections. This study evaluates three generations of models using observational data and reanalyses, identifying persistent biases and their potential causes. Some biases persist or even worsen in newer models. These findings highlight key limitations and inform efforts to improve models and advance understanding through process-based studies and enhanced observations.

Interplay of North Atlantic freshening and deep convection during the last deglaciation constrained by Iberian speleothems

Stable isotope data of a precisely dated stalagmite from northwestern Iberia indicate gradual North Atlantic meltwater input during the last glacial maximum, followed by abrupt surges early in the last deglaciation. The first abrupt surge was decoupled from first cooling about 810 years later – unlike later events – which reveals that the Atlantic circulation’s sensitivity to meltwater is variable and related to the evolving background climate boundary conditions.

Growth and decay of the Iceland Ice Sheet through the last glacial cycle

We simulated the Icelandic Ice Sheet over the last 120 kyr using an ice sheet model constrained by geological data with robust uncertainty assessment. At the Last Glacial Maximum, ice reached the continental shelf break, with a potential ice bridge connecting to the Greenland Ice Sheet. Model consistency with geological constraints during deglaciation is only possible with meltwater-driven ice fracture at the ice sheet margin, destabilizing the marine ice sheet and accelerating its collapse.

Proglacial wetlands: an overlooked CO₂ sink within recently deglaciated landscapes

SOIL
DOI 10.5194/soil-12-441-2026
17 April 2026

When glaciers retreat, new land surface is revealed. Using detailed glacial retreat maps, it is possible to determine for how long a location has been ice-free. That age is used in this study to analyse how fast carbon is incorporated into the soil. Our results show that the wetness of the soil strongly determines the CO₂ uptake and carbon incorporation rates. Wetlands cover a small percentage of the land surface but are nonetheless important for the carbon storage in the deglaciated area.

Drivers and implications of declining fossil fuel CO₂ concentrations in Chinese cities revealed by radiocarbon measurements

Our study indicates fossil fuel CO₂ (CO_2ff) reductions in Chinese megacities via atmospheric Δ(¹⁴CO₂) and δ(¹³CO₂) measurements, driven by coal-to-gas transitions and combustion efficiency improvement. The 24-year record show steeper declined urban R_CO/CO2ff ratios than inventory estimates, implying underestimation of efficiency improvements and CO reductions. Integrating top-down observations with inventories is critical to track policy-driven emission shifts and optimize co-benefit strategies.