Search

Models and palaeoclimate data suggest that the tropical Pacific climate system plays a key part in the mechanisms underlying orbital-scale and abrupt climate change (1-7). Atmospheric convection over the western [...]

Author(s): Kim M. Cobb (corresponding author) [1, 2]; Christopher D. Charles [1]; Hai Cheng [3]; R. Lawrence Edwards [3] Despite recent advances in the understanding of the life cycle of [...]

Author(s): Axel Timmermann [sup.1] [sup.2] [sup.3] , Soon-Il An [sup.4] , Jong-Seong Kug [sup.5] , Fei-Fei Jin [sup.6] , Wenju Cai [sup.7] [sup.8] [sup.9] , Antonietta Capotondi [sup.10] [sup.11] , [...], In this Review, the middle initial of author Kim M. Cobb was omitted. The original Review has been corrected online.

Author(s): Kim M. Cobb (corresponding author) [1] I am disheartened that Nature has apparently joined the chorus of tone-deaf statements on race and racism in science, technology, engineering and mathematics [...]

Nature 449, 452-455 (2007) A recalibration of the Caltech [sup.236]U and [sup.229]Th spike has determined that the original spike value used for the stalagmite chronologies yielded U-Th ages that were [...]

We present precipitation isotope data (δ 2 H and δ 18 O values) from 19 stations across the tropics collected from 2012 to 2017 under the Coordinated Research Project F31004 sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Rainfall samples were collected daily and analysed for stable isotopic ratios of oxygen and hydrogen by participating laboratories following a common analytical framework. We also calculated daily mean stratiform rainfall area fractions around each station over an area of 5° x 5° longitude/latitude based on TRMM/GPM satellite data. Isotope time series, along with information on rainfall amount and stratiform/convective proportions provide a valuable tool for rainfall characterisation and to improve the ability of isotope-enabled Global Circulation Models to predict variability and availability of inputs to fresh water resources across the tropics.

El Niño events are characterized by surface warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean and weakening of equatorial trade winds that occur every few years. Such conditions are accompanied by changes in atmospheric and oceanic circulation, affecting global climate, marine and terrestrial ecosystems, fisheries and human activities. The alternation of warm El Niño and cold La Niña conditions, referred to as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), represents the strongest year-to-year fluctuation of the global climate system. Here we provide a synopsis of our current understanding of the spatio-temporal complexity of this important climate mode and its influence on the Earth system.