Research Highlights
We aim to feature the latest research results from US scientists whose published paper features work that is sponsored by one or more sponsoring agency programs of US CLIVAR (NASA, NOAA, NSF, DOE, ONR). Check out the collection of research highlights below and sort by topic on the right. Interested in submitting an article for consideration? See our Research Highlight Submission Guidelines page for more information.
The coastal sea levels along the Northeast Coast of North America show significant year-to-year fluctuations in a general upward trend. Analysis of long-term tide gauge records along the North American east coast identified an extreme sea-level rise event during 2009–2010. Within this relatively brief two-year period, coastal sea levels north of New York City jumped by up to 128 mm.
Climate extremes such as hurricanes and typhoons can cause death and destruction for communities around the world. Scientists are interested in studying both the predictability and possible future changes in the frequency and intensity of such storms.
Tropical cyclones are among the most devastating storms on Earth. Tropical cyclone activity in the North Atlantic displays large interannual variability in both number and track density. Recent studies show that global high-resolution models have remarkable skill in simulating the interannual variability in cyclone counts, implicating strong control by sea surface temperatures patterns.
To understand the increased number of cold extreme events in recent years, a study conducted by an international team of US and Korean scientists suggests that the recently drastic reduction of Arctic sea ice cover could be the key driver.
Researchers investigated the response of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) to the rise of atmospheric CO2 in the NCAR Climate System Model version 3, with the focus on the different responses under modern and glacial periods.