http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/severe_weather/ Severe weather research news. Learn how a storm, tornado, hurricane, or cyclone develop. What causes El Nino, La Nina or a drought? What do meterologist predict for the coming season? en-us Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:05:01 EST Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/severe_weather/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029161532.htm Climate models that predict heavy rainfall don't give the whole picture, according to the results of a new study. Researchers examined climate changes that have taken place over the past 800,000 years, and discovered that the melting icebergs in the North Atlantic and changes in the El Niño Southern Oscillation have a great influence on the intensity of monsoon rains. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029161532.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110105353.htm Aerosols, very small particles suspended in the air, play an important role in the global climate balance and in regulating climate change. They are one of the greatest sources of uncertainty in climate change models. ESA's GlobAerosol project has been making the most of European satellite capabilities to monitor them. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110105353.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110071348.htm Launch scrubs are nothing new at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. In fact, there have been 116 space shuttle scrubs; 72 for technical reasons and 45 for inclement weather. During the summer, bad weather, particularly lightning, seems to strike as the countdown clock nears zero. Maybe it's because Kennedy and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station are well within what meteorologists call, "Lightning Alley." Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110071348.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106121918.htm The epic flooding that hit the Atlanta area in September of 2009 was so extremely rare that, six weeks later this event has defied attempts to describe it. Scientists have reviewed the numbers and they are stunning. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106121918.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091030100022.htm More than 1.2 billion lightning flashes occur around the world every year. Each of those billion lightning flashes produces a puff of nitrogen oxide gas (NOx) that reacts with sunlight and other gases in the atmosphere to produce ozone. Using data gleaned from aircraft observations and satellites, NASA scientists recently took steps toward a better global estimate of lightning-produced NOx and found that lightning may have a considerably stronger impact on the climate in the mid-latitudes and subtropics. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091030100022.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104000925.htm Biologists have explained why corals spawn for just a few nights in some places but elsewhere string out their love life over many months. A new study shows that corals spawn when regional wind fields are light. When it is calm, the eggs and sperm have the chance to unite before they are dispersed. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104000925.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104122526.htm Is there such a thing as "weather" on Mars? There are some doubts, considering the planet's atmosphere is only 1 percent as dense as that of the Earth. Mars, however, definitely has clouds, drastically low temperatures and out-of-this-world dust storms. A professor of atmospheric sciences now hopes to analyze and forecast Martian weather. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104122526.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102204438.htm As African leaders prepare to present an ambitious proposal to industrialized countries for coping with climate change in the part of the world that is most vulnerable to its impacts, a new study points to where and how some of this money should be spent. The study projects that climate change will have highly variable impacts on East Africa's vital maize and bean harvests over the next two to four decades. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102204438.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103121616.htm Launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., aboard an United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle, Oct. 18, 2009, the Special Sensor Ultraviolet Limb Imager (SSULI) developed by the Naval Research Laboratory offers a first of its kind technique for remote sensing of the ionosphere and thermosphere from space. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103121616.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029111907.htm A new European Earth observation satellite will be launched in the early hours of Monday November 2 from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia. The European Space Agency Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity satellite will measure moisture levels in the Earth's soils and the saltiness of the world's oceans from space for the very first time. Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029111907.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028090530.htm One of the first-ever analyses of the effects of global warming on endangered primates has examined how El Niño warming has affected the abundance of four highly threatened New World monkeys. All four monkey species showed drops in abundance relating to large-scale climate fluctuations. The study suggests that the consequences of intensified climate fluctuations could be devastating for several primate species. Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028090530.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026192903.htm High temperatures, humidity and low wind speed are associated with high occurrence of dengue fever according to a new study. Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026192903.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090813142508.htm Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary is among the healthiest coral reef ecosystems in the tropical Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, according to NOAA researchers. Their report offers insights into the coral and fish communities within the sanctuary based on data collected in 2006 and 2007. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090813142508.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090729140929.htm The cowpea or black-eyed pea, as it is more commonly known, is a New Year's tradition for good luck. But disease and particularly aphids, which can wreck a crop within a few a days, are especially bad luck for the cowpea, according to scientists. Several new lines of cowpeas with genes that are aphid-resistant and less susceptible to disease are currently being tested. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090729140929.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013105317.htm Houses on stilts, small scale energy generation and recycling our dishwater are just some of the measures that are being proposed to prepare our cities for the effects of global warming. A new study outlines how major cities must respond if they are to continue to grow in the face of climate change. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013105317.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020122536.htm Using data from Hurricane Katrina and four other destructive storms, researchers have found a way to accurately predict power outages in advance of a hurricane. Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020122536.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020122538.htm Seismologists have found a new way to piece together the history of hurricanes in the North Atlantic -- by looking back through records of the planet's seismic noise. It's an entirely new way to tap into the rich trove of seismic records, and the strategy might help establish a link between global warming and the frequency or intensity of hurricanes. Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020122538.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019123111.htm Scientists have produced the first preliminary predictions of the potential impact of climate change on the Australian seabed. Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019123111.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016094049.htm Once-in-a-lifetime floods in the Philippines, India's delayed monsoon, and extensive drought in Australia are taking their toll on this year's rice crops, demonstrating the vulnerability of rice to extreme weather. Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016094049.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016140633.htm The combined global land and ocean surface temperature was the second warmest September on record, according to NOAA. Scientists also reported that the average land surface temperature for September was the second warmest on record, behind 2005. Additionally, the global ocean surface temperature was tied for the fifth warmest on record for September. Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016140633.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091015203837.htm The Arctic Ocean sea ice is thinning, new data show, supporting the emerging thinking that the Ocean will be largely ice-free during summer within a decade. Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091015203837.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006112846.htm "Blue haze," a common occurrence that appears over heavily forested areas around the world, is formed by natural emissions of chemicals, but human activities can worsen it to the point of affecting the world's weather and even cause potential climate problems, according to a new study. Mon, 12 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006112846.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006104627.htm Historical naval logbooks are being used for the first time in research into climate change. The logbooks include famous voyages such as the Beagle, Cook’s HMS Discovery and Parry’s polar expedition in HMS Hecla. Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006104627.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005161126.htm A 16-year study of tropical butterfly migration links a global climate pattern, El Niño, to local increases in plant production and peak migrations. Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005161126.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005161336.htm The anticipated sea-level rise associated with climate change, including increased storminess, over the next 100 years and the impact on the nation's low-lying coastal infrastructure is the focus of a new, interdisciplinary study led by geologists. Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005161336.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091002093803.htm Human activities have meant invasive species have been able to populate parts of the world to which they are not native and alter biodiversity there over thousands of years. Now, an international team of scientists has studied the impact of the black rat on bird populations on Mediterranean islands. Despite the rat's environmental impact, only the tiny European storm petrel has been affected over time by its enforced cohabitation with the rat. Tue, 06 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091002093803.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006155858.htm Water scarcity as a result of climate change will create far-reaching global security concerns, says Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, chair of the intergovernmental panel on climate change, at the 2009 Nobel Conference at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn., on Oct. 6, 2009. Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006155858.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001164104.htm A 2005-2007 dry spell in the southeastern United States destroyed billions of dollars of crops, drained municipal reservoirs and sparked legal wars among a half-dozen states -- but the havoc came not from exceptional dryness but booming population and bad planning, says a new study. Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001164104.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001164414.htm A long-term study of Africanized bee invasion of Mexico's Yucatan shows that "killer bees" may actually increase food resources for native bees. Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001164414.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928172359.htm As researchers develop new ways to better understand and predict the nature of individual storms, a largely unstudied phenomenon has caught the attention of scientists. Cool water upwellings occurring within ocean cyclones following alongside and behind hurricanes are sometimes strong enough to reduce the strength of hurricanes as they cross paths. Wed, 30 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928172359.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928195032.htm Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words, particularly when the picture is used to illustrate science. Technology is giving us better pictures every day, and one of them is helping a NASA-funded scientist and her team to explain the behavior of a greenhouse gas. Google Earth -- the digital globe on which computer users can fly around the planet and zoom in on key features -- is attracting attention in scientific communities and aiding public communication about carbon dioxide. Recently Google held a contest to present scientific results using KML, a data format used by Google Earth. Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928195032.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928194832.htm Since May 2009, the tropical Pacific Ocean has switched from a cool pattern of ocean circulation known as La Niña to her warmer sibling, El Niño. This cyclical warming of the ocean waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific generally occurs every three to seven years, and is linked with changes in the strength of the trade winds. El Niño can affect weather worldwide, including the Atlantic hurricane season, Asian monsoon season and northern hemisphere winter storm season. But while scientists agree that El Niño is back, there's less consensus about its future strength. Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928194832.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090817190638.htm Heavier rainstorms lie in our future. That's the clear conclusion of a new study on the impact that global climate change will have on precipitation patterns. Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090817190638.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090925115453.htm A recent commentary suggests that the US should spend roughly $197 million more than it currently does to research the impact of climate change on public health. Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090925115453.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090831213002.htm Research suggests that the expansion of rosebay rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum) in Southern Appalachian mountain hollows may increase the likelihood of landslides during and after intense rain events. Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090831213002.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090923143337.htm El Niño, the periodic eastern Pacific phenomenon credited with shielding the US and Caribbean from severe hurricane seasons, may be overshadowed by its brother in the central Pacific due to global warming, according to new research. Could lead to more intense hurricanes in the Atlantic, increased opportunity for droughts in Australia and India. Thu, 24 Sep 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090923143337.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922162303.htm Worried that dust from a nearby construction zone will harm your family's health? A new sensor from researchers in Israel, called 'Dust Alert', can help families and authorities monitor the quality of the air they breathe and precisely determine the chemical composition of toxins. Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922162303.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922112207.htm In a new study, researchers have concluded that the number of hurricanes and tropical storms in the Atlantic Basin is increasing, but there is no evidence that their individual strengths are any greater than storms of the past or that the chances of a US strike are up. Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922112207.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090917135208.htm In the last ten years, scientists have set up a global observing system to monitor the world’s oceans. The observation system works by combining satellite observations with data from in-water recording devices such as buoys, tide gauges and an array of more than 3000 Argo robots. Tue, 22 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090917135208.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090920204459.htm A new study indicates most of the world's low-lying river deltas are sinking from human activity, making them increasingly vulnerable to flooding from rivers and ocean storms and putting tens of millions of people at risk. Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090920204459.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090917170914.htm Whether for introduced muskrats in Europe or oak trees in the United Kingdom, zebra mussels in United States lakes or agricultural pests around the world, scientists have tried to find new ways of controlling invasive species by learning how these animals and plants take over in new environs. Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090917170914.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090918153121.htm It won't be as easy as some had hoped to catalog all the factors that influence the spread of an invading species, a new study suggests. If it is difficult to predict the course of an invasion, it will be difficult to control it. And there are hundreds of destructive invaders in the US alone, from kudzu to zebra mussels to the light brown apple moth. Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090918153121.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914173012.htm Research casts doubts on the notion that El Niño has been getting stronger because of global warming and raises interesting questions about the relationship between El Niño and a severe flu pandemic 91 years ago. The findings are based on analysis of the 1918 El Niño, which the new research shows to be one of the strongest of the 20th century. Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914173012.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090911191721.htm Scientists have warned that UN negotiations aimed at tackling climate change are based on substantial underestimates of what it will cost to adapt to its impacts. The real costs of adaptation to climate change are likely to be two-to-three times greater than estimates made by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the researchers say. Tue, 15 Sep 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090911191721.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090910114143.htm When a terrorist bomb explodes, a tornado rips through a town, a hurricane devastates a region, or wildfires ravage homes and businesses, plastic surgeons are not typically atop the list of emergency responders. Sat, 12 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090910114143.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090908103625.htm Tornadoes that occur from hurricanes moving inland from the Gulf Coast are increasing in frequency, according to researchers. This increase seems to reflect the increase in size and frequency among large hurricanes that make landfall from the Gulf of Mexico. Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090908103625.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901143321.htm This summer, a group of scientists and students -- as well as a Canadian senator, a writer, and a filmmaker -- set out from Resolute Bay, Canada, on the icebreaker Louis S. St-Laurent. They were headed through the Northwest Passage, but instead of opening shipping lanes in the ice, they had gathered to open up new lines of thinking on Arctic science. Mon, 07 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901143321.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090903163940.htm One way to maximize the eco-friendly factor of a structure is to include a green roof. "Greening" a roof, or covering a roof with vegetation, is gaining popularity in North America, where the number of green roofs increased 30 percent from 2006 to 2007. Benefits of green roofs include improved storm water management, energy conservation, reduced noise and air pollution, improved biodiversity and even a better return on investment than traditional roofing. Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090903163940.htm