Wei Liu

Strange Atlantic cold spot traced to ocean slowdown

Tracie Ventimiglia — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 20:48:37 +0000

Strange Atlantic cold spot traced to ocean slowdown Tracie Ventimiglia Fri, 06/20/2025 - 13:48 More News Jules Bernstein June 20, 2025

For more than a century, a patch of cold water south of Greenland has resisted the Atlantic Ocean’s overall warming, fueling debate amongst scientists. A new study identifies the cause as the long-term weakening of a major ocean circulation system.

Researchers from the University of California, Riverside show that only one explanation fits both observed ocean temperatures and salinity patterns: the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC, is slowing down. This massive current system helps regulate climate by moving warm, salty water northward and cooler water southward at depth.

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Wei Liu

Climate change to shift tropical rains northward

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 20:57:31 +0000

Climate change to shift tropical rains northward Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 06/04/2025 - 13:57 More News David Danelski June 25, 2024

A study led by a UC Riverside atmospheric scientist predicts that unchecked carbon emissions will force tropical rains to shift northward in the coming decades, which would profoundly impact agriculture and economies near the Earth's equator.

The northward rain shift would be caused by complex changes in the atmosphere spurred by carbon emissions that influence the formation of the intertropical convergence zones. Those zones are essentially atmospheric engines that drive about a third of the world’s precipitation, Liu and his co-authors report in a paper published Friday, June 28, in the journal “Nature Climate Change."

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Wei Liu

Slowing ocean current could ease Arctic warming - a little

Tracie Ventimiglia — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 19:13:25 +0000

Slowing ocean current could ease Arctic warming - a little Tracie Ventimiglia Tue, 11/19/2024 - 11:13 More News Jules Bernstein October 25, 2024

The Arctic is warming at three to four times the global average. However, new research suggests the slowing of a key ocean current could reduce projected Arctic warming by up to 2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.

For years, scientists have warned that unchecked Arctic warming could lead to devastating consequences, threatening wildlife and ushering in an era of more frequent and extreme weather events. Amid concerns for these types of outcomes, a study led by UC Riverside offers some limited relief.

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Wei Liu

Study advances understanding of anthropogenic effects on climate change

Tracie Ventimiglia — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 19:38:42 +0000

Study advances understanding of anthropogenic effects on climate change Tracie Ventimiglia Mon, 11/13/2023 - 11:38 More News Iqbal Pittalwala June 30, 2023

Anthropogenic aerosols — aerosols originating from human activity — and greenhouse gases, or GHGs, have helped modulate the storage and distribution of heat in oceans since the industrial age. Isolating and quantifying the effects of both forcers using coupled climate model simulations, a University of California, Riverside-led team has found that anthropogenic aerosols and GHGs have played distinct roles in the world’s oceans in shaping the pattern of heat uptake, redistribution, and storage.

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Wei Liu

Lesser known ozone layer’s outsized role in planet warming

Mayra Gandarilla — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 17:59:26 +0000

Lesser known ozone layer’s outsized role in planet warming Mayra Gandarilla Wed, 06/29/2022 - 10:59 More News April 22, 2022

"New research has identified a lesser-known form of ozone playing a big role in heating the Southern Ocean — one of Earth’s main cooling systems.

Ozone is a gas composed of three oxygen atoms. Many studies have described ozone in the stratosphere, and its role in shielding people from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation. Closer to ground level, in the troposphere, ozone is harmful to humans."

Global Climate & Environmental Change

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Wei Liu

Reducing aerosol pollution without cutting carbon dioxide could make the planet hotter

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Dec 2020 22:16:47 +0000

Reducing aerosol pollution without cutting carbon dioxide could make the planet hotter Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 12/01/2020 - 14:16 More News November 17, 2020

Humans must reduce carbon dioxide and aerosol pollution simultaneously to avoid weakening the ocean’s ability to keep the planet cool, new research shows.

Aerosol pollution refers to particles in the air emitted by vehicles and factories that burn fossil fuels. This pollution contributes to asthma, bronchitis, and long-term irritation of the respiratory tract, which can lead to cancer.

Global Climate & Environmental Change

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