Volume 7 Issue 12, December 2017

The Paris Agreement has increased the incentive to verify reported anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions with independent Earth system observations. Reliable verification requires a step change in our understanding of carbon cycle variability.

Debate over effective climate change communication must be grounded in rigorous affective science. Rather than treating emotions as simple levers to be pulled to promote desired outcomes, emotions should be viewed as one integral component of a cognitive feedback system guiding responses to challenging decision-making problems.

Stable layering in the ocean limits the rate that human-derived carbon dioxide can acidify the deep ocean. Now observations show that ocean warming, however, can enhance deep-ocean acidification through increased organic matter decomposition.

Large, intense thunderstorms frequently cause flooding and fatalities. Now, research finds that these storms may see a threefold increase in frequency and produce significantly heavier downpours in the future, far exceeding previous estimates.

Climate impact models have a limited ability to represent risks to the poor and vulnerable. Wider adoption of best practices and new model features that incorporate social heterogeneity and different policy mechanisms are needed to address this shortcoming.

Many of the measures required to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants contribute to achieving the sustainable development goals while complementing decarbonization efforts required to reduce long-term climate change.

Achieving the longer-term goals of the Paris Agreement and transformation to a low-carbon society requires an acceleration in electricity generation investment and capacity addition above that outlined in the US Nationally Determined Contribution.

The Arctic is under-represented in surface temperature datasets and this could affect estimates of global warming. A new dataset with greater coverage of the Arctic shows a higher warming rate of 0.112 °C per decade compared to 0.005 °C from IPCC AR5.

Limitations with climate models have previously prevented accurate diagnosis of future changes in mesoscale convective systems (MCSs). A convection-permitting model now indicates that summer MCSs will triple by 2100 in the United States, with a corresponding increase in rainfall rates and areal extent.

Post-monsoon season severe cyclonic storms were first observed over the Arabian Sea in 2014 and 2015. Highresolution modelling reveals their increased frequency can be attributed to anthropogenic forcing, and not natural variability.

Changes in deep-water ventilation could potentially cause acidification from organic matter breakdown. The Sea of Japan has an acidification rate 27% higher at depth than at the surface, showing how reduced ventilation from warming could impact the deep ocean.

Warming interacts with forest disturbance and drought to shape the energetic structure of soil food webs; these changes can undermine the provision of multiple ecosystem functions in transitional boreal–temperate forests.

Climate and CO₂ trends have driven significant changes in global crop water demand over the last 30 years but with variation by region and crop type. If trends continue, it could be a challenge for adaptation efforts to keep pace with water demand.

Reductions in precipitation and water storage increased fire emissions in pan-tropical forests by 133% during and following El Niño events (1997–2016). Fires follow a predictable cascade across tropical continents that may improve seasonal fire forecasts.

State policies play a key role in mitigation of power-sector emissions. Analysis of 17 policies in the US shows that mandatory compliance is reducing emissions, with the largest reductions related to greenhouse gas reporting and public benefit funds.

Here emission curves are developed for advanced biofuel supply chains to enhance understanding of the relationship between biofuel supply and its potential contribution to climate change mitigation while accounting for landscape heterogeneity.