ScienceDaily

The risk for violent clashes increases after weather extremes such as droughts or floods hit people in vulnerable countries, an international team of scientists finds. Vulnerable countries are characterized by a large population, political exclusion of particular ethnic groups, and low development. The study combines global statistical analysis, observation data and regional case study assessments to yield new evidence for policy-makers.

Scientists have published a new study proposing an optimization methodology for designing climate-resilient energy systems and to help ensure that communities will be able to meet future energy needs given weather and climate variability.

Hot days increase the probability that an average adult in the US will report bad mental health, according to a new study.

The Montreal Protocol of 1987 phased out production of ozone-destroying substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Beginning around 2000, concentrations of those chemicals in the stratosphere started to decline and the ozone hole began to recover. In this study, researchers have shown that around the year 2000, the circulation of the Southern Hemisphere also stopped expanding polewards -- a pause or slight reversal of the earlier trends.

Analysis shows global warming is intensifying the occurrence of unprecedented hot spells and downpours faster than predicted by historical trends.

More information about the effects human activities have on Southeast Asian coral reefs has been revealed, with researchers looking at how large-scale global pressures, combined with the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate pattern, can detrimentally impact these delicate marine ecosystems.

Wild, treeless landscapes are becoming more wooded as climate change leads to warming temperatures and wetter weather, research suggests.

Soon, ecologists thinks we'll be able to pull off the same forecasting feat for bird migrations and wildlife populations as for climate forecasts. That's because just as those recurring changes in climate have predictable consequences for humans, they also have predictable effects on plants and animals.

As the power of extreme weather events increase with climate change, a team of scientists warn that lakes around the world may dramatically change, threatening ecosystem health and water quality.

A new high-resolution Earth systems model has been designed to predict climate trends into the next century. The model will provide the scientific basis by which to mitigate the effects of extreme climate on energy and other essential services.

A new study has precisely quantified soil and landscape features and spatial and temporal yield variations in response to climate variability.

Climate change, with more and more storms and heat waves, also has consequences for our energy supply. An international research team has now developed a new method for calculating how extreme weather affects energy systems.

Rapid Arctic warming has not led to a 'wavier' jet stream around the mid-latitudes in recent decades, pioneering new research has shown.

One of the ocean's loudest creatures is smaller than you'd expect -- and will get even louder and more troublesome to humans and sea life as the ocean warms, according to new research.

The exponential growth in computer processing power seen over the past 60 years may soon come to a halt. Complex systems such as those used in weather forecast, for example, require high computing capacities, but the costs for running supercomputers to process large quantities of data can become a limiting factor. Researchers have recently unveiled an algorithm that can solve complex problems with remarkable facility -- even on a personal computer.

The Gulf Coast, especially New Orleans, is particularly vulnerable to storm surge. As the climate warms, the region will be even more susceptible to extreme storm surges, according to new research.

During a typical Canadian winter, snow accumulation and melt -- combined with sudden rainfalls -- can lead to bottlenecks in storm drains that can cause flooding. With that in mind, researchers have been examining urban stormwater drainage systems, and they too have concerns about the resilience of many urban drainage systems.

Using an advanced form of deep learning, researchers created a computer system that learned how to accurately predict extreme weather events, like heat waves, up to five days in advance using minimal information about current weather conditions. Ironically, the self-learning 'capsule neural network' uses a method reminiscent of 'analog' weather forecasting, which was made obsolete by computers in the 1950s.

A reduction in manmade aerosols in Europe has been tied to a reduction in extreme winter weather in the region.

New research suggests the impact of rising sea levels and the increased frequency and intensity of extreme storm events on coastal plants needs to be placed in greater focus.