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IMAGE: (Top panel, from left to right) July 12, 2012 coronal mass ejection seen in STEREO B Cor2, SOHO C2, and STEREO A Cor2 coronagraphs, respectively. (Bottom panel) The same images. view more
Credit: Talwinder Singh, Mehmet S. Yalim, Nikolai V. Pogorelov, and Nat Gopalswamy
The surface of the sun churns with energy and frequently ejects masses of highly-magnetized plasma towards Earth. Sometimes these ejections are strong enough to crash through the magnetosphere the natural magnetic shield that protects the Earth damaging satellites or electrical grids. Such space weather events can be catastrophic.
Astronomers have studied the sun s activity for centuries with greater and greater understanding. Today, computers are central to the quest to understand the sun s behavior and its role in space weather events.
Initially, we looked at these huge OH and HO
2 signals found in the clouds and asked, What is wrong with our instrument?, said William Brune, a meteorologist at Penn State. We assumed there was noise in the instrument, so we removed the huge signals from the dataset and shelved them for later study.
The data were collected from an instrument on a plane flown above Colorado and Oklahoma; the instrument analyzed chemical changes thunderstorms and lightning make in the atmosphere.
The researchers determined the signals were really hydroxyl and hydroperoxyl and worked with colleagues to see if these signals could be reproduced by sparks and subvisible discharges in the laboratory. The team then performed a re-analysis of the thunderstorm and lightning dataset.
Scientists use 22-year solar clock to find an elusive correlation
During La Niña, sea surface temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific drop below average.
A new study shows a correlation between the end of solar cycles and a switch to La Niña conditions in the Pacific Ocean, suggesting that the sun’s variability can drive seasonal weather variability on Earth. The findings were published in the journal Earth and Space Science.
If the connection holds up, it could significantly improve the ability to predict the largest La Niña events, which have seasonal climate effects over land. For example, the southern United States tends to be warmer and drier during a La Niña, while the northern U.S. tends to be colder and wetter.
How plants will fare as carbon dioxide levels continue to rise is a tricky question
Rainforest on Panama’s Barro Colorado Island; researchers there study tropical ecosystems.
How plants will fare as carbon dioxide levels continue to rise is a tricky question and, researchers say, especially vexing in the tropics. Some aspects of plants’ survival may get easier, some parts will get harder, and there will be winners and losers. The resulting shifts in vegetation will help determine the future direction of climate change.
To explore the question, a U.S. National Science Foundation-funded study led by University of Washington scientists looked at how tropical forests, which absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) might adjust as CO2 continues to climb. The results show that multiple changes occurring in plants’ leaves and competition between species could preserve these ecosystems’ ability to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. A paper reporting the
Thicker-leaved tropical plants may flourish under climate change nsf.gov - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nsf.gov Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.