Science Briefs
This page lists all GISS Science Briefs for the period 2005-2009. Listings are available on separate pages for 2010 to the present, 2000-2004, and 1995-1999.
2009
Sea Ice Retreat and Arctic Pollution
As the Arctic ice cap shrinks during the coming decades, the chemistry of the polar troposphere should also change.
(Dec '09)
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Survival of Tibetan Glaciers
Along with greenhouse gases, black soot from upwind pollution sources threatens to eliminate glaciers from the Tibetan Plateau during the 21st century.
(Dec '09)
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Can the Oceans Keep Pace with Industrial Emissions?
In a new estimate of industrial carbon absorbed by the oceans, evidence is seen for a recent slow-down in their capacity to keep up with emissions.
(Dec '09)
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How do Global Soot Models Measure Up?
Seventeen global black carbon models were compared with measurements from ground networks, aircraft and satellite and found to generally have enough "soot" but to underestimate absorption.
(Nov '09)
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Ocean Temperature Variations and Rainfall
A regional climate simulation of the equatorial eastern Atlantic found a surprising change in rainfall in one latitude zone in response to sea temperature changes in an adjacent zone.
(Nov '09)
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Alaskan Climate Change and Peatland Carbon Storage
Analysis of fossil pollen and spores from northern peatland reveals major shifts in Alaskan coastal climate and vegetation since the last ice age, which affects carbon storage potential.
(Aug '09)
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Super-Eruptions, Climate and Human Survival
Explosive volcanic eruptions can cool climate for a short period, but can a super-eruption such as occurred 74 thousand years ago lead to ice sheet formation?
(Jul '09)
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Transportation Pollution and Global Warming
Controlling pollution from transportation sources would greatly reduce black carbon and ozone emissions, which affect both climate and also human health.
(Jun '09)
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Particles Multi-Task to Change Climate
Tiny particulate matter in the atmosphere can both warm and cool the climate. Which effect is dominant, and will the balance change as the atmosphere warms due to greenhouse gases?
(May '09)
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The Ozone Hole and Global Warming
A new study examines possible connections between reduced Southern Hemisphere ozone and Northern Hemisphere Arctic warming.
(May '09)
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Solar Variations and Climate
Modeling studies show that changes in solar irradiance that occur during the solar cycle have an influence on rainfall patterns, much like weighting the dice.
(Jan '09)
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2008
Separating the Man-Made from the Natural
Analyzing anthropogenic signals in the climate records requires the ability to distinguish them from natural effects with similar time scales.
(Dec '08)
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Looking Both Ways at Pollution
Regulation of pollutants often treats their air quality and climate change effects separately, but a unified approach may produce better results.
(Dec '08)
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Earth Impacts Linked to Climate Change
A new study shows that human-caused climate change has impacted a wide range of natural systems, from Arctic permafrost thawing to African lakes declining in productivity.
(Dec '08)
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Getting a Grip on Ice Sheet Changes
To better understand how climate change will affect the Greenland ice sheet, scientists modeled the melting Laurentide ice sheet of 9000 years ago.
(Oct '08)
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How Will Global Peak Oil Affect Climate?
Researchers have identified feasible emission scenarios that could keep carbon dioxide below levels that some scientists have called dangerous for climate.
(Sep '08)
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Uncertainties Limit Climate Predictions
Gaps in our understanding of climate response in the tropics and polar regions limit our ability to predict future climate change impacts in all areas.
(Aug '08)
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Climate Change From Short-Lived Emissions
Three climate models were used to study the climatic effects through the year 2050 of short-lived atmospheric species such as sulfates, aerosols, and tropospheric ozone.
(Jul '08)
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Modeling the Dust Bowl Climate Forcings
A series of climate model simulations studied how dust storms altered precipitation during the Dust Bowl drought of the 1930s.
(Jun '08)
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2007
Wetlands' Outsize Influence on Climate
The role of wetlands in the climate system is twofold because of their important part in the hydrologic cycle and in the methane that they emit.
(Oct '07)
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Climate Change and Summer Heat Waves
A NASA study suggests that greenhouse-gas warming may raise average summer temperatures in the eastern U.S. nearly 10°F by the 2080s.
(May '07)
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The Color of Life, Here and Out There
NASA scientists believe they have found a way to predict the color of plants on planets in other solar systems.
(Apr '07)
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Particulate Consequences
Changes over the next few decades in the types of aerosol pollutants and where they are emitted will affect how climate changes. GISS scientists recently looked at two possible scenarios.
(Mar '07)
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Modeling Carbon Monoxide
Scientists from ten countries recently studied how well we understand the spread of the pollutant carbon monoxide through the atmosphere and its interaction with important greenhouse gases.
(Feb '07)
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Sea Level Rise, Then and Now
A warming climate is expected to cause sea level rise, leading to coastal flooding and other undesirable effects. Examining past episodes of rising oceans allows us to anticipate the future.
(Jan '07)
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The Physics of Climate Modeling
Climate is a large-scale phenomenon that emerges from complicated interactions among small-scale physical systems. Yet despite this complexity, climate models have demonstrated impressive successes.
(Jan '07)
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2006
Observing and Modeling African Storms
Regional climate models give more detailed structure to the spatial distributions of weather variables. After a few days of initial tuning, one GISS model simulates realistic weather scenarios such as summer storms over West Africa.
(July '04/May '06)
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Interaction of Ozone and Sulfate Pollution
A recent GISS study of the cross influences of ozone and sulfate "precursor" gases over the next 25 years has revealed surprising effects relevant to air quality management.
(Mar. '06)
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Trial of the Century: Act II
Evidence regarding the response of polar ice sheets and sea level rise to rising temperatures is considered in the trial of carbon dioxide and co-conspirators.
(Feb. '06/Feb. '07)
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Modeling Abrupt Climate Change
To test how well a climate model predicts possible changes in ocean circulation due to climate change, GISS scientists have simulated the effects of a massive flood of fresh water some 8000 years ago.
(Jan. '06)
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2005
Tracing the Water Cycle, Isotopically
Tracking the movements of water through the climate system is a primary concern of climatologists. How do we follow water's path from a particular source? How well do climate models agree with observations?
(Dec. '05)
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Mineral Clues to Past Climates
How do we know what Earth's climate was in the ancient past? Scientists can use a wide variety of geologic evidence as indirect "proxies" to reconstruct the record of past temperature, rainfall and wind.
(Nov. '05)
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Trial of the Century: Co-Conspirators Convicted
Although greenhouse gases haven't been caught "red-handed", circumstantial evidence is overwhelming that carbon dioxide and its co-conspirators methane and nitrous oxide are creating a predicament for Earth's climate.
(Feb. '05)
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