Extreme rainfall and strong winds can each cause major disruption. When they occur together—or within only a few days of each other—their combined impacts can be even more severe. Heavy rainfall may saturate soils and increase flood risk, while strong winds can damage infrastructure, disrupt transport and bring down trees or power lines. Forecasting these events is essential for early-warning syst ...[Read More]
Science Communication
Observational constraints help narrowing down uncertainty on the future of the AMOC
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation — the AMOC — has become one of the most discussed elements of the climate system. It is often portrayed as a looming tipping point, a potential disruptor of European climate, and a symbol of the uncertainties that still surround climate projections. We spoke with Didier Swingedouw, a leading researcher in ocean–climate interactions from the CNRS and ...[Read More]
Rethinking the carbon cost of scientific exchange: Nonlinear effects of reducing scientific mobility
The carbon footprint of scientific collaboration has become an increasingly debated topic. Conferences, workshops, and research travel remain central to how science function, yet they also contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions. Since the pandemic era scientists also learned to work virtually and to attend workshops and conferences online. Understanding the carbon footprint, and how it comp ...[Read More]
Where is climate science heading? Views from the community
At the recent UNDERPIN2 conference (Understanding rare events and their climatic impacts, in Erice, Sicily), we held a discussion on the future of climate science. To guide the conversation, I ran an interactive survey to capture how climate scientists see the current challenges, opportunities, and blind spots in climate research, communication, and the use of artificial intelligence. The response ...[Read More]
From Theory to Impacts: Nonlinear Perspectives on Weather Extremes at UNDERPIN#2
From 1–5 August 2025, the medieval hilltop town of Erice, Sicily, hosted the second UNDERPIN workshop, a meeting organised within the Nonlinear Processes in Geosciences community and dedicated to advancing the science of weather extremes. The event brought together a truly diverse group of researchers, spanning climate dynamics, attribution science, socio-economic impacts, statistical physics, and ...[Read More]
AI-generated Images: the fragility of visual evidence in geosciences
Recently, an increased number of visually striking “scientific” images have been found online: snapshots of turbulent flows with dreamlike structure, eerily symmetric cloud patterns, and what appeared to be global temperature fields annotated with plausible colormaps and scientific-looking labels. Many of these posts quickly go viral on social media. And yet, in many cases, the images ...[Read More]
NP Interview the incoming Nonlinear Processes in Geosciences Division President: Davide Faranda
Today’s NP Interviews hosts the incoming NP Division President Davide Faranda. Davide is Research Director in Climate Physics in the Laboratoire de Science du Climat et de l’Environnement (LSCE) of the Institute Pierre Simon Laplace at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). He is an expert of weather extreme events such as cold spells, heatwaves, cyclones and severe thund ...[Read More]
NP Interview the outcoming Nonlinear Processes in Geosciences Division President: François Schmitt
Today’s NP Interviews hosts the outcoming NP Division President François Schmitt. François has a PhD degree from Université Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris (1993), in atmospheric turbulence, and an Habilitation degree from the same university (2001). He has stayed in Belgium during 6 years as a post-doc, working in meteorology and in fluid mechanics. He is CNRS researcher in Wimereux (North of Fran ...[Read More]
Interviews with Women in Nonlinear Processes in Geosciences: Exploring Inspiration and Challenges
In celebration of Women in Science day, we delve into the experiences and insights of five accomplished women scientists in the field of Nonlinear Processes in Geosciences: Prof. Bérengère Dubrulle, Dr. Vera Melinda Galfi, Dr. Giorgia di Capua, Dr. Meriem Krouma, and Anupama K Xavier. Through a series of interviews, these women share their journeys, addressing challenges faced as women in science, ...[Read More]
Bridging Mathematics and Climate Science: the AMS MRC programme for June-July 2024
The American Mathematical Society’s Mathematics Research Communities (MRC) continues to be a beacon for early-career mathematicians seeking professional development. This esteemed program offers opportunities to hone collaborative research skills, cultivate networks within active research domains, and benefit from mentorship by leaders in the field. As part of the MRC initiative, the upcoming conf ...[Read More]