Atmospheric Sciences

Analysis and Comment (6)

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Why does the atmosphere over Tasmania record lower levels of CO2 than that over Hawaii? Ula Majewski

How is atmospheric CO2 measured in the Southern Hemisphere?

By Paul Fraser, CSIRO

Last week the greenhouse gas monitoring site at Mauna Loa in Hawaii recorded daily levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide that approached the 400 parts per million molar (ppm) benchmark. Annual mean Southern…
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The extreme rate at which greenhouse gases and temperatures are rising is leading to extensive fires. AAP Image/Kim Foale

As carbon dioxide hits a new high, there’s still no Planet B

By Andrew Glikson

On May 9, 2013, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the US recorded CO2 levels in the atmosphere at of 400 parts per million. This signifies a return to the atmospheric conditions similar…
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Measurements in the skies over Hawaii show we’ve reached a carbon dioxide milestone, but geo-engineering won’t get us off the hook. J.S. Nawati

Carbon dioxide hits a new high, but geo-engineering won’t help

By Steve Sherwood

This week, carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere finally crossed the 400 parts-per-million mark. The last time that happened was 3-5 million years ago during the Pliocene epoch, several million…
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People affected by floods move to higher grounds in Khoski, Sindh province, Pakistan, 17 September 2011. AAP

Weather extremes: atmospheric waves and climate change

By Vladimir Petoukhov, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Stefan Rahmstorf, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

The northern hemisphere has experienced a spate of extreme weather in recent times. In 2012 there were destructive heat waves in the US and southern Europe, accompanied by floods in China. This followed…
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Understanding Venus' atmosphere helps us understand Earth’s past, present, and a potential future. Keith Mosley

What Venus has taught us about protecting the ozone layer

By Frank Mills

SAVING THE OZONE: Part six in our series exploring the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer – dubbed “the world’s most successful environmental agreement” – looks at the atmosphere…
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It’s not just greenhouse gases that affect climate: other air pollution could be changing atmospheric circulation. NASA Goddard Photo and Video

Poleward-shifting climate zones – where are they headed and why?

By Joseph Kidston

The Earth’s principal climatic zones appear to be shifting poleward. If this continues, as climate models project, the weather patterns that give rise to deserts in the subtropics, and stormy wet weather…

Research and News (2)

Research Briefs (5)

Study reveals warming’s sooty side

University of Illinois

Black carbon is nearly three times more important in climate change than previously thought, research led by the University…

Why has the ozone hole spread to the Arctic?

Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research

An international team of scientists has unravelled how the first ozone hole over the Arctic formed last spring. A comprehensive…

Soil nitrite cleanses the air

Science Mag

Researchers have discovered that soil nitrite is released into the air in the form of nitrous acid (HONO). The atmosphere…

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