Atmospheric Science

NASA’s Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) mission, seen in this visualization, contributed to NASA’s understanding of the region that borders between Earth’s atmosphere and space. Credit: NASANASA’s AIM mission concluded after over a decade of groundbreaking research on Earth’s upper atmosphere, leaving behind a legacy of scientific discoveries and a wealth of data for future analysis.After 16 years of studying Earth’s highest clouds for the benefit of humanity – polar mesospheric clouds – from its orbit some 350…

In the search for extraterrestrial life, MIT scientists say a planet’s carbon-lite atmosphere, relative to its neighbors, could be a sure and detectable signal of habitability. Credit: SciTechDaily.comA low carbon abundance in planetary atmospheres, which the James Webb Space Telescope can detect, could be a signature of habitability.Scientists at MIT, the University of Birmingham, and elsewhere say that astronomers’ best chance of finding liquid water, and even life on other planets, is to look for the absence, rather…

ESA’s EarthCARE mission carries a suite of instruments to answer some critical scientific questions related to the role that clouds and aerosols play in reflecting incident solar radiation back out to space and trapping infrared radiation emitted from Earth’s surface. Although clouds play an extremely important role in atmospheric heating and cooling, they remain one of the biggest mysteries – in fact the least understood factor – in our understanding of how the atmosphere drives the climate system. Credit: ESA/ATG…

An international research team, using the European XFEL X-ray laser, has uncovered new details about diamond rain on planets like Neptune and Uranus, revealing its potential effect on their magnetic fields and existence on smaller exoplanets. Credit: SciTechDaily.comResearchers at the European XFEL suspect effects on complex magnetic field.An international team of researchers led by Mungo Frost from the SLAC research center in California has gained new insights into the formation of diamond rain on icy planets such as…

Recent research by the University of Cambridge has unveiled the mystery behind Venus’s cloud compositions, identifying a combination of rhomboclase and acid ferric sulfate as the cause of unique UV absorption patterns. Credit: SciTechDaily.comResearchers may have identified the missing component in the chemistry of the Venusian clouds that would explain their color and ‘splotchiness’ in the UV range, solving a longstanding mystery.What are the clouds of Venus made of? Scientists know they are mainly made of sulfuric acid…

New research has found that atmospheric moisture over arid and semi-arid regions has not increased as much as expected with global warming, contradicting the predictions of climate models. Credit: SciTechDaily.comA recent study finds that atmospheric moisture in arid and semi-arid regions is not rising as predicted with global warming, posing new challenges for climate science and raising concerns about heightened risks of wildfires and extreme weather.The laws of thermodynamics dictate that a warmer atmosphere can hold…

The graphic shows the diamond rain inside the planet, which consists of diamonds sinking through the surrounding ice. Pressure and temperature continuously increase on the way deeper inside the planet. Even in extremely hot regions, the ice remains due to the extremely high pressure. Credit: European XFEL / Tobias WüstefeldA new study reveals that “diamond rain” on icy planets like Neptune and Uranus forms under less extreme conditions than previously believed. This phenomenon influences the planets’ internal dynamics and…

Artistic concept of the exoplanet WASP-107b and its parent star. Even though the rather cool host star emits a relatively small fraction of high-energy photons, they can reach deep into the planet’s fluffy atmosphere. Credit: Illustration: LUCA School of Arts, Belgium/ Klaas Verpoest (visuals), Johan Van Looveren (typography). Science: Achrène Dyrek (CEA and Université Paris Cité, France), Michiel Min (SRON, the Netherlands), Leen Decin (KU Leuven, Belgium) / European MIRI EXO GTO team / ESA / NASAObservations with JWST’s…

A groundbreaking study spanning 66 million years reveals a sobering view of Earth’s climatic trajectory, showing that current CO2 levels last appeared 14 million years ago, far earlier than previous estimates. This international research effort, taking seven years to complete, highlights the profound sensitivity of our climate to greenhouse gases and the lasting impact these have over millennia. The study’s findings underscore the urgency for informed climate policy, providing a detailed past-to-present analysis that…

Astronomers have detected dynamic weather activities, such as massive cyclones, on the uninhabitable exoplanet WASP-121 b using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. This discovery, crucial for studying distant planetary weather, is enabled by detailed observations and advanced computational models. Credit: NASA, ESA, Quentin Changeat (ESA/STScI), Mahdi Zamani (ESA/Hubble)Stormy weather on display on a “hot Jupiter”The Jupiter-sized planet WASP-121 b is no place to call home. For starters, it orbits very close to a star that is…