News Archive

  • July 2025:
    New publication:

    Liu, Y., M. J. McPhaden, W. Cai, Y. Zhang, J. Zhao, H. C. Nnamchi, X. Lin, Z. Li, J-.Y. Yang (2025). Basin-wide and coastal modes of north tropical Atlantic variability have distinct impacts onhurricanes. Communications Earth & Environment. 6, 549. .

    Abstract:
    Warm sea surface temperature anomalies in the north tropical Atlantic are conducive to increased intensity and frequency of Atlantic hurricanes. The period 2023-2024 saw two consecutive warm events but with distinct anomaly patterns. Here we use observations and model outputs over the past several decades to determine whether there exists inherent diversity in north tropical Atlantic surface temperature spatial structures and impacts. We find two distinctive modes of variability: a basin-wide mode and a coastal mode, underpinned by differing relationships between air-sea heat flux and sea surface temperature anomalies. The basin-wide mode has a stronger influence on Atlantic hurricane activity due to its more westward and persistent anomaly pattern. Since the 1990s, the well-known impact from El Ni帽o-Southern Oscillation on the north tropical Atlantic is felt through its influence on the basin-wide mode. Our results highlight the importance of distinguishing the two distinctive modes in assessing and predicting their impacts.

  • July 2025:
    New publication:

    Tian, Q., J.-Y. Yu, H. C. Nnamchi, T. Li, J. Li, L. Zhang, X. Li (2025). Unraveling the mystery of recent shortened response time of ENSO to Atlantic forcing. Nature Communications. 16, 5884.

    Abstract:
    The El Ni帽o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is known to respond to tropical Atlantic (TA) sea surface temperature (SST) forcing. However, the response time of ENSO to the TA SST forcing is not stationary but varies over decades, the reasons for which remain poorly understood. Here we show that decadal changes in ENSO鈥檚 response time to TA SST forcing are primarily influenced by the south-north shift of the dominant mode of TA SST variability itself. Before the mid-1980s, the southward-shifted TA mode prolongs the response time to ~20 months through an eastward-propagating mid-latitude teleconnection. In contrast, when the TA mode shifts northward after the mid-1980s, the response time decreases to 6鈥9 months via a faster westward-propagating subtropical teleconnection. Our findings underscore the importance of considering the meridional shift of the TA mode when understanding the impacts of the TA SST variability on ENSO, which has profound implications for ENSO forecasting.

  • April 2025:
    New publication:

    Nnamchi, H.C., Latif, M. Predictable equatorial Atlantic variability from atmospheric convection-ocean coupling. npj Clim Atmos Sci 8, 149 (2025).

    Abstract:
    The Atlantic Ni帽o exerts profound impacts on regional and global atmospheric circulation and climate, and on equatorial Atlantic biogeochemistry and ecosystems. However, the mode鈥檚 prediction remains a challenge which has been partly attributed to weak atmosphere-ocean coupling in the region. Here we introduce a framework that enhances the detection of the coupling between meridional migrations of atmospheric deep convection and zonal thermocline feedback. This approach reveals high predictive skill in a 196-member seasonal prediction ensemble, demonstrating robust predictability at 1鈥5-month forecast initialization lead times. The coupled mode is strongly correlated with land-precipitation variability across the tropics. The predictive skill largely originates in the Atlantic Ocean and is uncorrelated with El Ni帽o Southern Oscillation in the Pacific, the leading mode of interannual climate variability globally. These skillful predictions raise hopes for enabled action in advance to avoid the most severe societal impacts in the affected countries.

  • April 2025:
    New publication:

     

    Christian Baatz, Lukas Tank, Lena-Katharina Bednarz, Miranda Boettcher, Teresa Maria Morganti, Lieske Voget- Kleschin, Tony Cabus, Erik van Doorn, Tabea Dorndorf, Felix Havermann, Wanda Holzh眉ter, David Peter Keller, Matthias Kreuzburg, Nele Matz-L眉ck, Nadine Mengis, Christine Merk, Yiannis Moustakis, Julia Pongratz, Hendrikje Wehnert, Wanxuan Yao and Gregor Rehder (2025): "A holistic assessment framework for marine carbon dioxide removal options." Environmental Research Letters,

    Abstract:
    Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (mCDR) options could potentially play an important role in future CDR policy portfolios. They include, for example, ocean alkalinity enhancement, blue carbon projects such as mangrove cultivation, as well as sub-seabed storage of captured atmospheric CO2. We present a novel assessment framework designed for mCDR options. The framework provides important conceptual advancements to existing frameworks currently used to assess climate options: It clearly distinguishes between and allows for the assessment of both the feasibility and desirability of mCDR options, it makes explicit the evaluative standards upon which the assessment is based and it separates the descriptive listing of information from the evaluation of said information. The assessment framework aims to advance the debate on what role mCDR can and should play in responding to the climate crisis by providing a tool for both policymakers and stakeholders to assess mCDR options in a transparent and comprehensive way.

  • April 2025:
    New publication:

    Tank, L., Voget-Kleschin, L., Garschagen, M., Boettcher, M.,  Mengis, N., Holland-Cunz, A., Rehder, G., and  Baatz, C. (2025) "Distinguish between feasibility and desirability when assessing climate response options." npj Climate Action 4, 34.

    Abstract:
    The current literature on assessing climate change response options does not sufficiently distinguish between assessing options in terms of their feasibility and in terms of their desirability. One example of this is the IPCC feasibility assessment framework. We argue that assessments of climate response options should indeed cover questions of desirability, but they should do so explicitly. Transparency about underlying normative standards is the key to a productive desirability assessment.

  • March 2025:
    New publication:


    Huo, W., Spiegl, T., Wahl, S., Matthes, K., Langematz, U., Pohlmann, H., Kr枚ger, J. (2025) "Assessment of the 11-year solar cycle signals in the middle atmosphere during boreal winter with multiple-model ensemble simulations." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 25 (4), 2589鈥2612,

    Summary:
    To better understand possible reasons for the diverse modeling results and large discrepancies of the detected solar fingerprints, we took one step back and assessed the 鈥渋nitial鈥 solar signals in the middle atmosphere based on a set of ensemble historical simulations with multiple climate models 鈥 the Flexible Ocean Climate Infrastructure (FOCI), the ECHAM/MESSy Atmospheric Chemistry (EMAC), and the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology Earth System Model in high-resolution configuration (MPI-ESM-HR). Consistent with previous work, we find that the 11-year solar cycle signals in the shortwave heating rate (SWHR) and ozone anomalies are robust and statistically significant in all three models. These initial solar cycle signals in the SWHR, ozone, and temperature anomalies are sensitive to the strength of the solar forcing. Correlation coefficients of the solar cycle with the SWHR, ozone, and temperature anomalies linearly increase along with the enhancement of the solar cycle amplitude. This reliance becomes more complex when the solar cycle amplitude 鈥 indicated by the standard deviation of the December鈥揓anuary鈥揊ebruary mean F10.7 鈥 is larger than 40. In addition, the cold bias in the tropical stratopause of EMAC dampens the subsequent results of the initial solar signal. The warm pole bias in MPI-ESM-HR leads to a weak polar night jet (PNJ), which may limit the top-down propagation of the initial solar signal. Although FOCI simulated a so-called top-down response as revealed in previous studies in a period with large solar cycle amplitudes, its warm bias in the tropical upper stratosphere results in a positive bias in PNJ and can lead to a 鈥渞eversed鈥 response in some extreme cases. We suggest a careful interpretation of the single model result and further re-examination of the solar signal based on more climate models.

  • March 2025:
    M207 cruise:

    M207 expedition on the RV METEOR took a place from January 4 to February 11, 2025, from Belem, Brazil to Mindelo, Cabo Verde.

    The EXPORT is the part of the WARD Tropics expedition, which focused on the trans-Atlantic transport of mineral dust. With this aim the new portable meteorological observatory for desert-dust transport was installed on board of the ship. Dust particles can affect climate in many different ways, from affecting radiative forcing to playing a role of nutrient supplier. During the expedition we had an opportunity to measure the Saharan dust, transported far away from the source along tropical Atlantic. Several instruments were installed on board of METEOR, like ceilometer, flat plate aerosol sampler, high volume sampler, disdrometer, solar radiation measurement station and also different sun photometers to record the aerosol optical depth were used.

  • February 2025:
    new publication:

    Mu, F., Fiedler, S. How much do atmospheric depressions and Mongolian cyclones contribute to spring dust activities in East Asia?. npj Clim Atmos Sci 8, 51 (2025).

    Summary:
    Severe East Asian dust storms occur in spring due to dust-emitting winds in the Gobi Desert associated with Mongolian cyclones. The present study performs the first quantitative assessment of the contributions of Mongolian cyclones to springtime dust activity in East Asia, based on multiple reanalyses and observational datasets for 2001鈥2022. Atmospheric depressions dominate dust activities in Northern China, explaining ~90鈥92% of the total dust emissions in the Gobi Desert and ~88鈥93% of the dust aerosol optical depth (蟿) downwind, depending on the dataset. Mongolian cyclones, defined as long-living and mobile atmospheric depressions, explain almost half (~34鈥47%) of the Gobi鈥檚 total dust emissions and 蟿 downwind, and are the primary driver of high-impact dust storms. The number of Mongolian cyclones, along with the dust activity, has decreased since 2001, with a spatial pattern of the dust emission trend that is consistent with the northward shift of cyclone tracks.

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