Over the past two decades ENSO, a climate pattern in the equatorial Pacific Ocean that includes El Niño and La Niña, has been the dominant driver of  total water storage extremes at the global level. What’s more, the researchers found that ENSO has a synchronizing effect on water storage extremes across continents.

New research reveals the extent to which Mars is quietly tugging on Earth’s orbit and shaping the cycles that drive long-term climate patterns here, including ice ages.

For her decades of thoughtful Society leadership and energetic committee participation, the Seismological Society of America  will present Ruth Harris with its 2026 Distinguished Service Award. Harris will receive the award at the 2026 SSA Annual Meeting.

Kevin Milner has been honored with the Seismological Society of America’s 2026 Charles F. Richter Early Career Award for his wide-ranging, globally adopted research that has become central to seismic hazard analysis modeling.

Earth’s slow axial wobbles—known as precession cycles—do not just shape long-term climate trends. A new study led by researchers from China, Belgium, and Austria shows that these orbital motions can also spark climate swings on thousand-year timescales, even in ancient ice-free greenhouse worlds. The findings suggest that rapid climate variability may be an intrinsic feature of Earth’s climate system and could recur under future warming. 

A comprehensive 40-year study (1981–2020) of 587 major Chinese lakes reveals that urbanization is a key driver of accelerated lake warming. The warming rate was 58.3% higher in the densely populated southeast compared to the northwest. Lakes in urbanized areas warmed 33.3% faster than those in non-urbanized regions. Researchers note that urbanization alters how climatic factors contribute to lake warming.

A new interdisciplinary study led by researchers from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), with collaborators from the City University of Hong Kong, has found that El Niño events significantly reduce life expectancy across high-income Pacific Rim countries, resulting in economic losses of up to US$35 trillion by the end of the 21st century.

 

Using over six decades of mortality records from 10 high-income Pacific Rim countries, the research team shows that El Niño is a persistent driver of health and economic loss, not just a short-term weather anomaly. El Niño-driven climate extremes, such as heatwaves and air pollution, disrupt healthcare systems and raise long-term mortality risks, particularly among vulnerable populations.

 

The research, published in the scientific journal Nature Climate Change and part of NTU’s Climate Transformation Programme, shows that El Niño events not only cause immediate health impacts but also persistently slow long-term improvements in mortality rates, leading to enduring reductions in life expectancy.