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Disruptions of the spatiotemporal distribution of surface precipitation that are induced by global warming may affect Earth's climate more significantly than changes in the total precipitation amount. Identifying such disruptions at global scales is not straightforward, as it requires disentangling a weak signal from comprehensive, gapless data in a 5‐D configuration space whose dimensions are latitude, longitude, time, power, and period. Drawing on reliable, state‐of‐the‐art climate model simulations from the fifth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) experiments and using well‐tested analytical methods, clear changes in the global precipitation cycles have been found for the simulated period 1862–2003. It has also been found that the disruptions may be attributable to anthropogenic forcing. The disruptions are relevant enough to envision significant changes in precipitation timing if human greenhouse gas emissions continue to accumulate in the future. It is noteworthy that the effects of anthropogenic forcings have been found not predominantly in the intra‐annual cycles, i.e., in the short‐term weather patterns that would be indicative of local effects, but rather in the interannual planetary long‐term variability of the atmosphere. This suggests a global, distributed effect of the anthropogenic forcings on precipitation, which in turn is indicative of changes in the precipitation patterns linked with changes in the thermodynamics of the precipitation microphysics and to a lesser extent with the dynamical aspects of the precipitation processes. Disruptions in the dominant modes of precipitation are observed in several CMIP5 modelsAnthropogenic forcings greatly affect the interannual variability of precipitationAnthropogenic emissions affect how precipitation is distributed in time in a place

One of the most interesting and most accessible opportunities of nanofillers is the reinforcement of fine structures in which conventional fillers cannot be readily accommodated, such as polymer foams. This paper reviews the progress to date towards the development of reactive foam nanocomposites, in particular polyurethane and silicone foams. The discussed systems are summarized based on the types of nanofillers used, i.e. nanoparticles, rod-like, and plate-like systems. The effect of nanofillers on the foaming process, cellular structure and properties is critically reported along with a summary of the measured improvements in the mechanical, electrical and thermal properties of the resulting nanocomposites.

AbstractThe focus of this chapter is progress in hydrology for the last 100 years. During this period, we have seen a marked transition from practical engineering hydrology to fundamental developments in hydrologic science, including contributions to Earth system science. The first three sections in this chapter review advances in theory, observations, and hydrologic prediction. Building on this foundation, the growth of global hydrology, land–atmosphere interactions and coupling, ecohydrology, and water management are discussed, as well as a brief summary of emerging challenges and future directions. Although the review attempts to be comprehensive, the chapter offers greater coverage on surface hydrology and hydrometeorology for readers of this American Meteorological Society (AMS) monograph.