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Northern Monsoon Intensified in Recent Decades

Date Posted: 
March 25, 2013
Publisher: 
PNAS

Warming in recent decades, coupled with natural climate variations, has intensified the summer monsoon system across Asia, West Africa, and North America, according to a recent paper in PNAS.

Arguments Advanced for Climate-Change Influence on Superstorm Sandy

Date Posted: 
March 7, 2013
Publisher: 
Oceanography

Superstorm Sandy may have been influenced by Arctic sea ice loss caused by human-induced climate changes, according to an article in Oceanography.

New El Niño Signal Could Improve Winter Weather Predictions

Date Posted: 
February 14, 2013
Publisher: 
Journal of Climate

Predictions of the effects of El Niño events on U.S. winter weather could become a lot more accurate using the results of a new study, according to the authors of the article published in Journal of Climate.

Melting Arctic Sea Ice Intensifies Northern Winters

Date Posted: 
March 1, 2012
Publisher: 
PNAS

Melting Arctic sea ice in recent decades is linked to changes in atmospheric circulation over the Northern Hemisphere during winter, resulting in increased cold surges over large parts of North America, Europe, and eastern Asia, according to a recent study in PNAS .

Ocean Current Changes May Affect Coastal Fisheries

Date Posted: 
October 22, 2010
Publisher: 
ScienceDaily and Nature Geoscience

Researchers led by Emanuele Di Lorenzo at the Georgia Institute of Technology are beginning to make connections between climate change, various cyclical Pacific Ocean currents, and their potential affect on coastal marine ecosystems.  

Arizona and New Mexico During El Niño Winters

During El Niño years, all climate divisions in Arizona and New Mexico tend to receive above-average winter precipitation. Values represent the percentage of December-March precipitation compared to non-El Niño years for the period 1895-1996.

Anticyclone Air Patterns Over the Southwest

The air circulation patterns at 18,000 feet show the signature “anticyclone” that helps define the North American monsoon.

Climate Dynamics

Author Profile: 

The climate system is dynamic. Forceful winds and ocean currents circumnavigate the globe, redistributing the energy of the sun. The sun provides the external energy that drives the climate from the outside. The sun also stimulates internal changes that cause, for example, ocean currents to weaken or strengthen and trade winds to migrate.

Basic Concepts

Author Profile: 

The climate system is dynamic and complex. While weather details changes over short periods of time, like when anvil-shaped clouds burst in the late afternoon during monsoon season, climate describes average conditions over longer intervals.