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The role of the tropical carbon balance in determining the large atmospheric CO₂ growth rate in 2023

The year 2023 saw unexpectedly large global atmospheric CO₂ growth. Satellite data reveal a role for increased tropical emissions. Larger emissions over eastern Brazil can be explained by warmer temperatures, which has led to exceptional drought, while hydrological changes play more of a role in emission increases elsewhere in the tropics. Broadly, we find that this situation continues into 2024.

Effects of geomagnetic mirror force and pitch angles of precipitating electrons on ionization of the polar upper atmosphere

The magnetic mirror force bends the orbits of electrons precipitating into the atmosphere. It has been suggested that relativistic electrons make much less ionization due to the force than if it did not exist, but the actual effectivity in the atmospheric electron density has not been revealed. We used conjugated observational data from the ELFIN (Electron Losses and Fields INvestigation) satellite and the EISCAT (European Incoherent SCATter scientific radar system) Tromsø radar to find that the electron density decreased by about 40 % at 80 km altitude because of the force.

nextGEMS: entering the era of kilometer-scale Earth system modeling

The Next Generation of Earth Modeling Systems project (nextGEMS) developed two Earth system models that use horizontal grid spacing of 10 km and finer, giving more fidelity to the representation of local phenomena, globally. In its fourth cycle, nextGEMS simulated the Earth System climate over the 2020–2049 period under the SSP3-7.0 scenario. Here, we provide an overview of nextGEMS, insights into the model development, and the realism of multi-decadal, kilometer-scale simulations.

Experiences and Lessons Learned from Designing and Testing of an Air System and a Drilling Fluid Circulation System Adapted for Subglacial Bedrock Sampling in Antarctica

Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods and Data Systems
DOI 10.5194/gi-14-277-2025
23 October 2025

A multi-process drilling system (MPDS), comprising an air system and a drilling-fluid circulation system (DFCS) was developed in China for subglacial bedrock sampling. The air system and DFCS were highly integrated in 20 ft container for easy transportation and assembly. Both systems were tested in China and Antarctica. The experiences and lessons learned in designing and testing would be helpful to promote the development of subglacial bedrock drilling technology.

Insights into mesoscale eddy dynamics: a three-dimensional perspective on potential density anomalies

Mesoscale eddies, characterized by rotating currents, are ubiquitous in the ocean. However, their three-dimensional structure remains poorly observed and analyzed, with transport estimates often relying on approximations. To better quantify their shape, we propose a new theoretical framework based on geophysical fluid dynamics and apply it to field observations.

Representing soil landscapes from digital soil mapping products – helping the map to speak for itself

SOIL
DOI 10.5194/soil-11-849-2025
21 October 2025

Soil maps are useful for many applications, e.g., hydrology, agriculture, ecology, and civil engineering. The dominant mapping method is Digital Soil Mapping (DSM), which uses training observations and machine-learning to predict per-pixel. Accuracy is assessed by statistical evaluation at known points, but soils occur in spatial patterns. We present methods for helping the map to "speak for itself" to reveal patterns of the soil landscape.

MOSAiC studies of long-lasting mixed-phase cloud events and analysis of the liquid-phase properties of Arctic clouds

We studied the water and ice phases of Arctic mixed-phase clouds (MPCs) using dual FOV polarization lidar and Doppler radar on board Polarstern during the MOSAiC expedition. Two long-lasting Arctic MPCs and year-round statistics show persistent droplet activation and dominant immersion freezing, indicating well-filled cloud condensation nuclei and ice-nucleating particle reservoirs. These findings help explain MPC longevity and may improve cloud life cycle representation in weather and climate models.

Estimating return periods for extreme events in climate models through Ensemble Boosting

Weather extremes have become more frequent due to climate change. It is therefore crucial to understand them, but since they are rarer than average weather, they are challenging to study. Ensemble Boosting (EB) is a tool that generates extreme climate model events efficiently, but without directly estimating their probability. Here, we present a method to recover these probabilities for a global climate model. EB can thus now be used to find extremes with meaningful statistical information.

Mercury contamination in staple crops impacted by artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM): stable Hg isotopes demonstrate dominance of atmospheric uptake pathway for Hg in crops

Air, soil, and three common staple crops were assessed at an artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) processing site, and mercury (Hg) contamination was observed at a farm ≈ 500 m from the processing site. Of the crop tissues examined, foliage had the highest concentrations. Mercury stable isotopes indicate uptake of mercury from the air to the foliage as the dominant uptake pathway. Using typical dietary data for Nigerians, Hg intake from these crops was below reference dose levels and generally safe for consumption.

AR6 updates to RF by GHGs and aerosols lowers the probability of accomplishing the Paris Agreement compared to AR5 formulations

We show that recent assessed updates to the future abundance and radiative forcing (RF) of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and tropospheric aerosols result in a 0.2 to 0.4 ⁰C rise in global mean surface temperature by the end of the century, relative to prior projections. For society to have confidence in achieving the 2 ⁰C warming limit of the Paris Agreement, the RF due to GHGs and aerosols must be placed close to the primary 2.6 W m⁻² Shared Socioeconomic Pathway scenario (SSP1−2.6) over the coming decades.

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