Zachary Lawrence, University of Colorado Boulder and Amy Butler, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The media often call unusually cold, snowy storms a 'polar vortex.' The real polar vortex isn't coming down to visit the lower 48, but changes to the polar vortex can influence winter weather.
Permafrost is thawing across the Arctic, releasing microbes and organic materials that have been trapped in the frozen ground for thousands of years.
NOAA via Wikimedia Commons
New research shows that permafrost contains huge amounts of particles that make it easier for cloud moisture to freeze. Thawing permafrost is releasing these ice-nucleating particles.
The jet stream can have a big impact on how long a plane ride will last.
Aeroprints via Wikimedia Commons
When planes fly from east to west, they are flying against a river of air called a jet stream. These air currents can make your flight longer or shorter, depending on which way you are going.
Sudden warming more than 10 km above the north pole can mean sudden freezing down here.
February 1969 afforded a spot of skiing for Nottingham residents.
Photographer: Nottingham Post, courtesy: Nottingham Local Studies photographic collection
The Atlantic Ocean is still growing physically, but humans are over-harvesting its rich fisheries. The most famous one – North Atlantic cod – has become a textbook example of harmful overfishing.
Some places, like Nazaré Canyon in Portugal, produce freakishly huge waves.
AP Photo/Armando Franca
Some beaches in the world tend to consistently produce huge waves. Places like Nazaré Canyon in Portugal and Mavericks in California are famous for their waves because of the shape of the seafloor.
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, and the colder weather approaches, new mathematical models are needed to study changing social behaviours and indoor spaces.
The 2020 wildfire season has been shattering records across the West.
Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images
Mosquitoes love the wetter weather La Niña brings to some parts of Australia. But will we see more mosquito-borne disease?
When Hurricane Dorian, seen here from the International Space Station, stalled over the Bahamas in September 2019, its winds, rain and storm surge devastated the islands.
NASA
Some rainstorms drench you in a second, while others drop rain in a nice peaceful drizzle. A meteorologist explains how rainstorms can be so different.