According to the recharge-discharge oscillator theory (Jin, 1997), the leading mode of tropical Pacific upper ocean heat content anomalies is a predictor (or a precursor) for the onset of El Niño – Southern Oscillation (ENSO) at the interannual time scale. A new study published in Nature (Zhao et al., 2024) utilized multiple global sea surface……
Heatwaves usually come with dry conditions because the regions under the so-called heat dome, which is typically responsible for severe heatwave events, are deprived of moisture and rainfall. However, in the southern US states under semi-tropical environments, “moist” heatwave events may occur, causing both the temperature and humidity stresses on human physiology. But, you may……
Currently (as of June 22, 2024), a phenomenon known as Atlantic Niña is brewing in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. As the Atlantic counterpart of La Niña in the Pacific, Atlantic Niña is characterized by the appearance of cold sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) in the eastern equatorial Atlantic. It is known to reduce rainfall and……
The Florida Current (FC) refers to the Gulf Stream across the Florida Straits between Florida and the Bahamas. Its volume transport has been measured continuously since 1982 using submarine cables across the Florida Straits at 27°N by NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML). A previous study (Piecuch and Beal, 2023) reported that the FC……
Recent news articles from the Washington Post “Why hurricane season is suddenly quiet — and what’s in store” and “A rare deluge could hit parts of the Sahara that almost never get rain this time of year” discussed two seemingly unconnected climate conditions around the tropical North Atlantic and West Africa. For the former, some……
During the satellite era (1979-present), the tropical Pacific Ocean has warmed significantly less than the other tropical oceans in response to increasing greenhouse gases (GHGs). This La Niña-like warming trend in observations is in disagreement with the El Niño-like warming trend projected by the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) models for both the 20th and……
As of 2024, there are currently 70 permanent research stations from 29 countries scattered around the continent of Antarctica conducting important scientific research to better understand the Earth system and its changes due to human activity. In the Arctic, however, there are no such permanent research stations because there is no land in the Arctic….…
The Labrador Sea is one of the main regions where the surface Atlantic water loses its heat to the atmosphere (thus gets heavier) and sinks into the deep ocean, producing what’s known as deep ocean convection that mainly drives the Atlantic Meridional Ocean Circulation (AMOC). It is also characterized by the Labrador Current, a strong……
As the surface ocean warms and polar ice sheets melt due to increasing anthropogenic greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, near-surface ocean stratification is increasing almost everywhere. In tropical and subtropical oceans, in particular, enhanced near-surface stratification inhibits the mixing between warmer surface water and cooler subsurface water, leading to a shallower surface mixed layer. In……
Scientists have been monitoring the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) at around 26.5°N since April 2004 through the RAPID/Meridional Overturning Circulation and Heatflux Array/Western Boundary Time Series moored array (RAPID). The newly released RAPID dataset fully incorporated a recent geomagnetic correction of the submarine cable measurement of the Florida Current transport, a critical component of……
On August 14 the federal government released the United States’ first National Heat Strategy. As it stands today, the Strategy is a major step forward for coordinated federal action to recognize and address extreme heat and it confirms that agencies across the federal government are making this a high priority issue. But like all strategic…
Japan holds a peace ceremony every August 6, to mark the day on which the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. This year, local elementary school students issued a message: “peace will not come from prayers alone.” On the same day, 16 young people aged between 15 and 29 filed a lawsuit…
Even as the geographical and doctrinal diversity of climate change litigation increases, climate lawsuits—whether they seek to hold private actors directly accountable or challenge government policies—continue to focus primarily on fossil fuels. This makes sense given that major oil and gas companies (sometimes called the “Carbon Majors”) are leading contributors to the climate crisis. But…
Introduction Though environmental rights have long been recognized globally, they have undergone particularly notable evolution over the past half-century. India, surprisingly to some, has one of the most sophisticated frameworks concerning State obligations and individual protections, including a robust system for guaranteeing the enjoyment of environment rights to individuals. The recent decision by the Indian…
Every summer now feels like Groundhog Day. More heat records broken. Soon, we’ll have more school days canceled (take Philadelphia for example where nearly 30 percent of city schools recently shut down due to lack of cooling systems). We already have more heat-related deaths (in fact, according to a study, it’s very likely we’ve been…
The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) represents the largest investment in climate action in U.S. history. In the two years since its enactment, the IRA has spurred a flurry of activity aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emission, and protecting communities from the impacts of climate change. But there is still more work to do to…
Olivia Guarna joins our team at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law as the new Climate Justice Fellow. Her work will focus on environmental justice and equity considerations in climate change law and policy, such as energy insecurity or the cumulative burdens of land use and siting decisions. Olivia graduated from New York University School…
Concerns about the growth in data centers and the associated increases in power demand have received substantial press coverage. As the scale of the burden that data centers impose on the electricity grid becomes clearer to the public, more and more people are asking the unavoidable question: who will pay for the grid upgrades needed…
Two years into the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the several tax credits that are eligible for “elective pay” are starting to catalyze investment in renewable energy, electric vehicles, and EV charging by nontaxable entities like local governments and nonprofit organizations. Slower to develop is a robust, cohesive response by nontaxable entities to the main tax…