Climate: Past, Present & Future

What can Greenland ice cores tell us about winter extreme events over Europe?

Alessandro Gagliardi May 15, 2026

A section of the EastGRIP ice core from the North East Greenland Ice Stream, Greenland. Author of the picture: Helle Astrid Kjær. License: CC BY 4.0

Introduction Human-caused climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events around the world, and Europe is no exception. These events typically last from a few days to several weeks or even months. Using climate models and reanalysis products, scientists are studying how extreme weather events will evolve and where they are likely to become more frequent and intense in a warmin ...[Read More]

Get ready for EGU26 with the Climate Division

Shalenys Bedoya-Valestt April 27, 2026

Dear climate community, The EGU General Assembly 2026 (3–8 May) is almost here. With more than 21,000 presentations (orals, posters, and PICOs) on the schedule, it is time to plan your week. Before you travel, please keep these important updates and reminders in mind: Get the App: Download the EGU26 App (iOS or Android) to synchronize and manage your personal programme. Upload your files: R ...[Read More]

Winds of change – How can we reconstruct the directions of winds in the past?

Ramona Schneider April 14, 2026

Figure 1: Map of Central Asia showing dominant influences on directions of dust transporting winds (in purple). The Caspian Sea Hindu Kush Index (CasHKI), a pressure difference between the Caspian Sea and the Hindu Kush mountains, leads to a deflection of westerly winds (Kaskaoutis et al., 2017). The winds are further deflected by the Alai, Pamir and Hindu Kush Mountains. Black star shows the location of the study described here. Figure from Schneider et al. (2026).

Invited guest from the EGU 2025 Outstanding Student and PhD candidate Presentation (OSPP) Award Wind is not easily visible. On historical time scales, its directions and velocities have been measured and recorded by instruments. To some degree, these parameters can also be simulated by climate models. But how about winds in the more distant past? And why would we want to know about them? In many p ...[Read More]

When a major climate event goes almost unnoticed: the elusive 8.2 ka signal in southern France stalagmites

Isabelle Couchoud and Maddalena Passelergue April 2, 2026

Graphical abstract of our study highlighting the elusive expression of the 8.2 ka event in southern France, based on speleothem multiproxy evidence from the Ardèche region.

Around 8,200 years ago, the climate of the Northern Hemisphere experienced an abrupt disturbance. In Greenland ice cores, the signal is unmistakable: a rapid drop in temperatures, followed by a gradual return to previous conditions. This episode, which lasted about 150 years, is known as the 8.2 ka event (“ka” meaning thousand years before 1950). It is often described as the most prominent ...[Read More]