ScienceDaily

Earth's global average surface temperature in 2021 tied with 2018 as the sixth warmest on record, according to independent analyses done by NASA and NOAA. Collectively, the past eight years are the warmest years since modern recordkeeping began in 1880.

Economic growth goes down when the number of wet days and days with extreme rainfall go up, a team of scientists finds. The data analysis of more than 1,500 regions over the past 40 years shows a clear connection and suggests that intensified daily rainfall driven by climate-change from burning oil and coal will harm the global economy.

Clouds have significant impact on the energy balance of the Earth system. Low clouds such as Stratocumulus, Cumulus and Stratus cover about 30 percent of the Earth surface and have a net cooling effect on our climate. What counteracts global warming, can have economic consequences: a persistently dense and low cloud cover over land can reduce agricultural production and the solar-power generation. Understanding the factors governing low cloud cover is not only important for regional weather forecasting and global climate prediction but also for their socioeconomic effects.

Researchers show that the increase of sea ice surrounding Antarctica since 1979 is a unique feature of Antarctic climate since 1905 -- an observation that paints a dramatic first-ever picture for weather and climate implications on the world's southernmost continent.

Large wildfires and severe heat events are happening more often at the same time, worsening air pollution across the western United States, a study has found. In 2020, more than 68% of the western U.S. -- representing about 43 million people -- were affected in one day by the resulting harmful-levels of air pollution, the highest number in 20 years. The study found that these concurrent air pollution events are increasing not only in frequency but duration and geographic extent across the region. They have become so bad that they have reversed many gains of the Clean Air Act. The conditions that create these episodes are also expected to continue to increase, along with their threats to human health.

Research has revealed frequent storm activity in coastal areas is a previously unrecognized way in which deforestation can increase flooding. The study found the frequency of thunderstorms in some fast-growing African coastal cities has doubled over the past 30 years, with much of this increase linked to the impact of deforestation on the local climate.

Two studies project the future of power supply and demand on the West Coast under different scenarios: one under climate change and another where power sources shift toward renewables and the climate follows historic trends.

The tropics is becoming hotter due to a combination of warming associated with deforestation and climate change -- and that can reduce the ability of outdoor workers to perform their jobs safely. Researchers estimated how many safe working hours people living in the tropics have lost due to local temperature change associated with loss of trees during the past 15 years.

While much is known about extreme weather events on land, there has been little research into those that occur in the ocean. A study led by ETH Zurich uses models to show for the first time that marine heatwaves, and extremes with high acidity or low oxygen can also occur conjointly -- with difficult to foresee consequences for marine life.

Like atmospheric rivers, but smaller and slower moving, the pools of water vapor bring much-needed rain from the Indo-Pacific to arid regions along the east African coast.

Some marine species can help protect others from climate change by shielding them from heat, according to a new study.

Scientists have developed an all-season smart-roof coating that keeps homes warm during the winter and cool during the summer -- without consuming natural gas or electricity. Research findings point to a groundbreaking technology that outperforms commercial cool-roof systems in energy savings.

Multiple large heatwaves the size of Mongolia occurred at the same time nearly every day during the warm seasons of the 2010s across the Northern Hemisphere, according to a new study.  Using ERA5 climate data from 1979 to 2019, the researchers found that the number of heatwaves occurring simultaneously in the mid- to high-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere was seven times greater in the 2010s than in the 1980s. On average, there were concurrent heatwaves on 143 days each year of the 2010s -- almost every day of the 153 days of the warm months of May through September. The concurrent heat events also grew hotter and larger: their intensity rose by 17% and their geographic extent increased 46%.

City living translates to an extra two to six hours of uncomfortable weather per day in the summer for people in much of the United States. The urban-rural heat gap grows the warmer it gets.

New research shows that physics measurements of just a small portion of reef can be used to assess the health of an entire reef system. The findings may help scientists grasp how these important ecosystems will respond to a changing climate.

Smart sensing technology to help farmers use fertilizer more effectively and reduce environmental damage has been created by bioengineers.

Managing the United States' growing wild pig population has become a significant challenge over the past few decades, but new research may help landowners and government agencies fine-tune their strategies for limiting crop and property damage caused by the animals.

Global warming makes long lasting weather situations in the Northern hemisphere's summer months more likely -- which in turn leads to more extreme weather events, a novel analysis of atmospheric images and data finds. These events include heatwaves, droughts, intense rainy periods. Especially in Europe, but also in Russia, persistent weather patterns have increased in number and intensity over the last decades with weather extremes occurring simultaneously at different locations.

The expansion of renewable energies is placing increasing demands on the power grids. Precise forecasts of the amount of solar power that will be fed into the grid is key to effective energy management. In addition to clouds, aerosol particles also strongly influence the amount of electricity generated by photovoltaic systems. Current air quality models are a good basis for estimating the production of solar electricity, but they could be further improved.

Scientists have now used climate modeling, rather than storm records, to reconstruct the history of hurricanes and tropical cyclones around the world. The study finds that North Atlantic hurricanes have indeed increased in frequency over the last 150 years, similar to what historical records have shown.