Atmospheric dynamics articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    The extent to which air traffic affects the optical thickness of existing cirrus clouds in the upper atmosphere remains unknown. Here, the authors compare cirrus cloud properties inside and outside of real flight tracks and show that optical thickness is significantly increased within the flight path.

    • Matthias Tesche
    • , Peggy Achtert
    •  & Kevin J. Noone

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The precise mechanism for wind energy input into the ocean at mesoscales remains uncertain. Here, using a high-resolution atmosphere-ocean model of the South Atlantic, the authors show that a mesoscale conduit associated with oceanic eddies is responsible for up to 10% of kinetic energy transfer.

    • D. Byrne
    • , M. Münnich
    •  & N. Gruber

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Atmospheric circulation controls the mass and energy balance of the Greenland ice sheet, yet the exact dynamics remain unknown. Here, the authors show that record conditions over Greenland during the summer of 2015 were associated with the formation and persistency of an Arctic cut-off high.

    • M. Tedesco
    • , T. Mote
    •  & K. Briggs

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Interdecadal modes of tropical Pacific ocean-atmosphere circulation have a strong influence on global temperature. Here, the authors present a 2000-year hydroclimate record from the Indo-Pacific, which suggests that century-scale variations in these modes are also linked with global temperature variability.

    • Michael L. Griffiths
    • , Alena K. Kimbrough
    •  & Wahyoe S. Hantoro

  • Article
    | Open Access

    It has been proposed that sea-surface temperature (SST) anomalies along the Gulf Stream aid regional climate predictions months to years in advance. Here, the authors show that a surface pathway for SST anomalies does not exist, as Gulf Stream waters reach higher latitudes by sub-surface pathways.

    • Nicholas P. Foukal
    •  & M. Susan Lozier

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Accurate forecasts of hurricane intensity remain problematic. Here, using an ocean observing network to inform ocean and atmospheric model simulations, the authors show that consideration of ahead-of-eye cooling improves intensity forecasts.

    • S. M. Glenn
    • , T. N. Miles
    •  & J. Kohut

  • Article
    | Open Access

    While precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau is a vital resource for glacier mass balance, river runoff and local ecology, the controlling mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, the authors combine observations and simulations and show that convective storms over India sweep moisture up and over the plateau.

    • Wenhao Dong
    • , Yanluan Lin
    •  & Fanghua Xu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    How lightning is initiated inside storms has been a long-standing and fundamental question. Here, the authors report observations of a previously unrecognized type of discharge, called fast positive breakdown, that is found to initiate many and potentially all lightning discharges in storms.

    • William Rison
    • , Paul R. Krehbiel
    •  & Yang Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Greenhouse-gas forcing has previously been thought to be rather ineffective at destroying the habitability of Earth-like planets. Here, the authors show that CO2is as effective as solar forcing at causing a climate transition to a Moist-Greenhouse regime and thus poses an equal threat to a planet's habitability.

    • Max Popp
    • , Hauke Schmidt
    •  & Jochem Marotzke

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Tropical cyclones rarely achieve high intensities gradually. Here, the authors show that rapid intensification is relevant not only to short-term weather forecasting, but also to the relationship between tropical cyclones and climate.

    • Chia-Ying Lee
    • , Michael K. Tippett
    •  & Suzana J. Camargo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Unlike some planets, the Venusian polar vortex is warmer than the mid-latitudes at cloud-top level, but the mechanism behind this is unknown. Here, the authors use a general circulation model and suggest the cold collar and warm polar regions are due to residual mean meridional circulation intensified by thermal tides.

    • Hiroki Ando
    • , Norihiko Sugimoto
    •  & Yoshihisa Matsuda

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The degree to which biogenic volatile organic compounds released by the Amazon canopy impact oxidation capacity remains uncertain. Here, the authors evaluate the vertical distribution of total hydroxyl radical reactivity and individual trace gases in the Amazon rainforest, and determine seasonal variations.

    • A. C. Nölscher
    • , A. M. Yañez-Serrano
    •  & J. Williams

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The relationship between terrestrial carbon sinks and atmospheric modes of variability remains uncertain. Here, the authors show that the coupling of the North Atlantic Oscillation and East-Atlantic patterns explains variations in the European CO2sink from 1982 to 2012.

    • Ana Bastos
    • , Ivan A. Janssens
    •  & Steven W. Running

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The cloud radiative effect (CRE) in the Arctic plays an important role in the amount of infrared radiation that reaches the surface. Here, the authors show that interplay between temperature and humidity controls CRE through competing influences in two semi-transparent wavelength ranges.

    • Christopher J. Cox
    • , Von P. Walden
    •  & Matthew D. Shupe

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The nature of the El Niño-like variability in the Atlantic Ocean and its limited predictability remain unresolved. Here, via multi-model numerical experiments, the authors show that much of the variability can be explained by the interaction of stochastic atmospheric fluctuations with the ocean mixed layer.

    • Hyacinth C. Nnamchi
    • , Jianping Li
    •  & Riccardo Farneti

  • Article |

    Gamma-ray ‘glows’ are long duration high-energy emissions from thunderclouds. Here, the authors present observations of these emissions using the ADELE array of detectors and suggest that gamma ray emissions are related to relativistic runaway electron avalanches.

    • Nicole A. Kelley
    • , David M. Smith
    •  & Hamid K. Rassoul

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The behaviour of airborne fine ash during explosive volcanic eruptions is poorly understood. Here, the authors study hail formation during an eruption, proposing a mechanism of particle aggregation that leads to the fallout of fine ash and the occurrence of concentrically layered aggregates in volcanic deposits

    • Alexa R. Van Eaton
    • , Larry G. Mastin
    •  & Amanda B. Clarke

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Sea surface temperature anomalies in the tropical Pacific can influence global atmospheric circulation, yet prediction of this atmospheric signal is limited to less than 1 year. Here, the authors present observational and modelling evidence for multi-year predictability.

    • Yoshimitsu Chikamoto
    • , Axel Timmermann
    •  & Fei-Fei Jin

  • Article |

    Tornadoes are one of nature’s most hazardous phenomena, yet prognostic tools for tornado occurrence are lacking. Here, the authors use Bayesian inference techniques to evaluate the spatiotemporal relationship between atmospheric variables and tornado activity in North America.

    • Vincent Y.S. Cheng
    • , George B. Arhonditsis
    •  & Heather Auld

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The rainfall rate of tropical cyclones is expected to increase under a warmer climate, yet likely changes in rainfall area remain unknown. Here, the authors combine satellite data and model simulations and show that rainfall area is dependent on relative sea surface temperatures.

    • Yanluan Lin
    • , Ming Zhao
    •  & Minghua Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Conventionally, the heaviest rainfall is associated with the most intense storms, yet this relationship remains untested. Here, Hamada et al. analyse 11 years of radar observations from the topics and subtropics, and conclude that the heaviest rainfall is most commonly associated with less intense convection.

    • Atsushi Hamada
    • , Yukari N. Takayabu
    •  & Edward J. Zipser

  • Article |

    Synoptic-scale atmospheric pressure patterns control moisture delivery and thus drought occurrence across western North America, yet long-term records are lacking. Here, the authors use a novel combination of tree-ring data and self-organizing maps to reconstruct and analyse pressure patterns since AD 1500.

    • Erika K. Wise
    •  & Matthew P. Dannenberg

  • Article |

    Models of turbulent flows are often simulated in the laboratory, in sampling areas with dimensions <1 m. Here, the authors exploit a natural snowstorm to quantify turbulent flows, exploring the complex dynamics of the atmospheric boundary layer around a 2.5-MW utility-scale wind turbine.

    • Jiarong Hong
    • , Mostafa Toloui
    •  & Fotis Sotiropoulos

  • Article |

    Sprites are spectacular optical emissions in the mesosphere with an enigmatic filamentary nature. Qin et al.present high-speed video and modelling data revealing sub-millisecond dynamics to reconstruct the structures on a km-scale, showing that pre-existing plasma irregularities are responsible for their initiation.

    • Jianqi Qin
    • , Victor P. Pasko
    •  & Hans C. Stenbaek-Nielsen

  • Article |

    Assessments of future water availability in South America are uncertain based on multiple coupled general circulation models. Shiogamaet al.identify global-scale metrics for measuring the reliability of water resource assessments, and indicate a higher probability of drying in the Amazon basin.

    • Hideo Shiogama
    • , Seita Emori
    •  & Toru Nozawa

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