The COVID-19 pandemic has been a disaster for the world, but efforts to control the disease have produced at least one silver lining in terms of the environment: a decrease in global emissions.
Efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, such as lockdowns, social distancing, and closures, resulted in a drop in the emissions of several harmful gases, most notably carbon dioxide, throughout much...
Although tornadoes produced by quasi-linear convective systems (QLCSs) generally are weak and short-lived, they have high societal impact due to their proclivity to develop over short time scales, within the cool season, and during nighttime hours. Precisely why they are weak and short lived is not well understood, thus motivating the recently published study by Geoff Marion and Jeff Trapp. A...- LAS Communications The state of Illinois is undergoing a rapid change in weather patterns that already has started to transform the state, according to a major new scientific assessment by researchers at several universities, government agencies, and organizations, including The Nature Conservancy and the University of Illinois. The...
Some of the most intense convective storms on Earth initiate near the Sierras de Córdoba mountain range in Argentina. The overarching goal of the RELAMPAGO field campaign, which was conducted near this mountain range during November-December 2018, was to observe these intense convective storms and their associated impacts. The field campaign had several components, including one focused on...
As described by Prof. Don Wuebbles and colleagues in the January 2021 issue of EOS: Cities and urban areas already experience many different stresses, but now face additional stresses from ongoing and projected climate change. Many cities, including Barcelona, Chicago, New York, Paris, and Seattle, are attempting to increase sustainability through climate action plans that map out steps to...
The Global Carbon Project recently published the Global Carbon Budget 2020, giving world leaders access to data on atmospheric carbon concentrations, emissions and trends. Illinois atmospheric scientist Atul Jain was part of an international team of scientists that...
Prof. Zhuo Wang is one of four professors in the College of LAS who have been named Richard and Margaret Romano Professorial Scholars for their leadership and research. Read more here.
In June of 2016, nine United States Army soldiers were on a routine training exercise at Fort Hood, Texas. They made the decision to traverse a low water crossing on Owl Creek. Unbeknownst to them, that crossing was closed and under 7 feet of water. Tragically, their military vehicle was swept downstream and those nine soldiers perished. The Army’s Investigating Officer stated that procedural...
A team of 25 scientists, including ATMS and GEOL professor Cristian Proistosescu, has made progress on a 40-year old question: How much will the Earth warm if human activity doubles the concentration of atmospheric Carbon Dioxide? This number, called Equilibrium Climate Sensitivity, traces its history to the first comprehensive assessment of the effects of carbon dioxide on climate,...
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Bangladesh is on track to lose all of its forestland in the next 35-40 years, leading to a rise in CO2 emissions and subsequent climate change, researchers said. However, that is just one of the significant land-use changes that the country is experiencing. A new study uses satellite and census data to quantify and unravel how physical and economic factors drive land-use...
The subseasonal timescale, residing between the time scales of weather forecasts and seasonal outlooks, has long been considered a “predictability desert.” Prediction on this timescale is important for decision makers in a variety of sectors. While most research on subseasonal prediction has focused on temperature and precipitation, emergency management would greatly benefit from skillful...- As students in atmospheric sciences, Troy Zaremba and Kaylee Heimes both refer to their time conducting undergraduate research at Illinois as the highlight of their time on campus. Under the guidance of atmospheric sciences professor Bob Rauber, Zaremba and Heimes are working to better understand the impact of cloud seeding, a...
- The following three undergraduates: Brandon Garcia, Kaylee Heimes, and Zach Chalmers, have been offered appointments to the NOAA Office of Education, Class of 2020 Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship Program. This prestigious program provides financial support for two academic years, as well as a summer...
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Cloud seeding has become an increasingly popular practice in the western United States, where states grapple with growing demands for water. Measuring how much precipitation cloud seeding produces has been a longstanding challenge. Researchers have developed a way to use radar and other tools to more accurately measure the volume of snow produced through cloud seeding. The...
IMPACTS is happening! The Investigation of Microphysics and Precipitation for Atlantic Coast-Threatening Snowstorms (IMPACTS) Field Campaign is now flying! Illinois participants include Prof. Bob Rauber and Graduate students Troy Zaremba, Andrew Janiszeski, Megan Varcie and Rose Miller. IMPACTS is a focused research program to study mesoscale processes in winter cyclones, particularly those...