Reviews & Analysis

The distribution of dust particles in the stratosphere affects the location of the tropical rainband. The possible implications of this for geoengineering — by injection of particles — need to be taken into account before implementation.

Energy policy is widely debated, with regards to climate change, alternative energy use and responsibility for policy. Research now highlights the role of citizens in public debates about energy and how it can be swayed.

Computer models and some theories suggest that global warming causes tropical Pacific trade winds to weaken, even as western tropical Pacific rainfall increases. A new observational study indicates otherwise.

Improving the ability of cities to mitigate and adapt to climate change has become a pressing global priority. Research now sheds light on the ways in which urban leaders are positioning themselves for the coming climate challenge.

Changes in the pattern of the seasons are implicated in observed Arctic greening.

The Earth is getting hotter as carbon dioxide, predominantly from the burning of fossil fuels, continues to accumulate in the atmosphere. It is widely recognized that increasing temperatures pose a threat to coral reefs, but just how large a risk are these reefs facing?

Climate change is amplified in polar regions compared with the rest of the globe. A study now describes how dust particles and other aerosols may contribute to this phenomenon.

Or do we see something, because we believe it? Evidence suggests that personal experience is more likely to influence Americans with no strong beliefs about climate change than those with firm beliefs.

The contribution of ice sheets to sea-level rise still has large uncertainties that are yet to be quantified.

Increased concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere support greater plant biomass in grasslands, but this response is constrained in the long term by soil nitrogen availability.

Phytoplankton support most marine food webs, but little is known about their intraspecific diversity. Research shows the strains that are most responsive to changes in CO₂ concentration may outcompete less flexible types in an acidifying ocean.

By exerting a drag on the atmosphere, wind turbines convert a fraction of the atmosphere's kinetic energy to electrical energy. To find the point of diminishing returns, a new study adds so much drag to a simulated atmosphere that the winds slow to a crawl.

Economic arguments, such as saving money, are often used to promote pro-environmental actions — for example, reducing energy use. However, research shows that people's environmental motives are sometimes better drivers of behavioural change.

Relationships between hosts, parasites and pathogens may be strongly affected by changing patterns of temperature variation.