Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are long, narrow bands of intense water vapor transport that move large amounts of moisture from low to mid latitudes, resembling giant rivers in the sky. They are gaining widespread attention because of their potential to trigger flooding across the Japanese archipelago. Researchers at University of Tsukuba have discovered that influenced by global warming and the strengthening of the North Pacific Subtropical High, the intensity of water vapor transport in ARs has increased by approximately 8% over the past 42 years (1981-2022).

A research team led by University of Tsukuba has revealed that the severity of Japanese winters is strongly influenced by the combined behavior of two distant climate systems: atmospheric circulation over the North Atlantic-European region and convective activity in the tropical Indo-Pacific. When these systems align, they reinforce each other and intensify cold conditions in Japan; when they are misaligned, their influence weakens, leading to milder impacts.

Arctic communities are increasingly exposed to dangerous weather events due to climate change and rely on accurate weather forecasts. However, conditions in the lower atmosphere remain poorly observed in the Arctic because monitoring systems are expensive and difficult to deploy. Now, researchers propose a new framework for on-demand atmospheric observations based on lightweight, low-cost profiling systems that can be operated by local communities whenever additional weather data are needed, helping improve forecasting and climate resilience.

Kyoto, Japan -- As climate change alters the temperatures of animal habitats, it seems natural that endotherms, warm-blooded animals like us, would prefer to hang out in the shade during hot weather. The use of microhabitats in the sun and shade is an important thermoregulatory behavior that has been reported across a wide range of animal species, and researchers are becoming increasingly interested in how animals -- especially those with long lifespans -- flexibly cope with thermal stress.

Japanese macaques, sometimes colloquially called snow monkeys, reside further north than any other non-human primates, and also have the highest hair density, which may make it difficult for them to dissipate heat. While observing some macaques in the field, a researcher at Kyoto University noticed that some of them appeared to choose resting sites that were neither fully sunny, nor fully shaded.

"That observation led me to wonder whether semi-shade might play a more meaningful role in thermoregulation than previously recognized," says corresponding author Yoshiyuki Tabuse.

By applying an “attribution constraint” method based on optimal fingerprinting to correct systematic biases in CMIP6 climate models,  the study significantly improved the projection reliability on the the upper‑level Hadley circulation.

Nearly 69 million people in the United States speak a language other than English at home, yet weather warnings have long been issued almost exclusively in English. A new study documents how the National Weather Service is using artificial intelligence to change that, developing a comprehensive translation program that delivers life-saving forecasts and alerts in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Samoan, French and other languages.