Research News

The warm, saline waters of the Gulf Stream meander northeasterly across the Atlantic Ocean, eventually forming the North Atlantic Current.  During winter, these salty waters cool and descend – it is this deep convection that is a key part of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC), the ocean conveyor belt. This conveyor belt is essential for heat exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere - it releases heat into the atmosphere above the North Atlantic Ocean then travels through the ocean, resurfacing in other areas of the world.

Research published in Geophysical Research Letters has used direct satellite observations of the ozone hole to show that levels of ozone-destroying chlorine are declining, resulting in less ozone depletion.

Climate change is not just occurring at ground level, but also high up in the atmosphere – and it will have significant impacts on air travel. One of the ways in which it can impact air travel is by increasing the strength and incidence of clean-air turbulence (CAT), one of the leading causes of weather-related aviation incidents.  

Over the past 35 years extreme storms in the Sahel have tripled and it’s down to global warming, according to research conducted by NERC scientists at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. In such storms, clouds can grow to heights of 16 km and can produce substantial volumes of rainfall. Indeed, in 2009 one downpour deposited 263 mm of rainfall in several hours and forced 150,000 residents of Burkina Faso to leave their homes.

An article in The Guardian explores 7 climate change ‘hot spots’ – key parts of the world where climate change could have devastating effects, be it the impact of hurricanes, heatwaves, drought or flooding.

Clouds have always been a feature of paintings and photographs, but images captured by amateur photographers confirmed the existence of a dramatic cloud form with a roughened, wave-like base. Citizen science has now helped experts to explain how the newly-recognised ‘wave-like’ asperitas cloud is formed.  

Regular exposure to sunlight, specifically ultraviolet B (UV-B), may reduce the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. These were the findings from a long-term study of more than 200,000 women, published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. The report speculated that vitamin D, which the body produces when exposed to sunlight, might protect women from arthritis.