Two new ROADMAP studies

Variations in the North Atlantic influence global temperatures

Written by Nour-Eddine Omrani, researcher at the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research and the Geophysical Institute at the University of Bergen.

Variations on various time scales can lead to apparent intensifications or pauses in global warming. Nour-Eddine Omrani writes about his recent study on the mechanisms behind oscillations in the North Atlantic.

On top of the long-term anthropogenic climate change, the Northern Hemisphere climate has experienced various coherent wintertime multidecadal climate variability in stratosphere, troposphere, ocean, Arctic sea ice and surface temperature. Depending on the sign of its change, the multidecadal variability can add to or counteract the long-term climate change for a limited time period, leading to an apparent intensification or hiatus – pause – in the overall long-term climate trends. Full press release read here

Extreme events in climate: the role of variability

Published on Nature Communications a new study by two ISAC-CNR Bologna researchers, Claudia Simolo and Susanna Corti. The study provides new elements for understanding the complex behavior of extreme events in present and future climate, evidencing key factors for their intensification. Research identifies temperature variability as a key factor for the frequency and intensity of such events. Using the most recent available numerical simulations of present and future climate, this study reveals the crucial role of natural variability, together with the rise in mean temperatures, quantifying it rigorously in terms of impacts on extreme events.

Particularly in the Tropics, the limited natural variability is responsible for the extraordinary increase in anomalous warm events and explains why these regions are so vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

According to Dr. Simolo, “some areas of the planet are affected by extreme warm events at an unprecedented rate, while others are affected by a larger number of extreme events, with dramatic consequences on human societies and ecosystems: nevertheless, the fundamental mechanisms of amplification are still unclear, adding uncertainty to future projections”. Full press release read here.