Nonlinear Processes in Geosciences

ECS SpotLight: Changes in the climate dynamics have already modified characteristics and impacts of storms in France: the case study of storm Alex 2020

Mireia Ginesta-Fernandez April 6, 2023

Credit: https://openai.com/product/dall-e-2

Extratropical cyclones play a key role in modulating the precipitation and wind in mid-latitudes and can be responsible for extreme wet and windy events. With global warming, the dynamics and thermodynamics associated with these atmospheric systems are being affected. However, due to the complexity of modelling the climate system, a challenge arises when evaluating the influence that climate chang ...[Read More]

The Great Cold Debate: Is Climate Change to Blame for Extreme Cold Spells?

Davide Faranda December 27, 2022

Average near-surface temperatures showing the extended cold spell over North America on December 24th 2022.

In December 2022, the United States experienced a severe cold spell, with record-low temperatures being recorded in many parts of the country. While it is natural for cold spells to occur, the question has arisen as to whether climate change is playing a role in the intensity and frequency of these events. There is ongoing debate among scientists about the relationship between climate change and ...[Read More]

What the 2022 summer thunderstorms in the Mediterranean tell us about the ongoing climate change?

Davide Faranda September 7, 2022

Lightning trace from 00 UTC to 18 UTC on 18 July 2022 showing the derecho track (dark red to white). Source: https://www.blitzortung.org/it/live_lightning_maps.php

The 2022 European summer was governed by the presence of a persistent cold drop (low pressure area) located between Portugal and France. The change in its position has determined the alternation between hot conditions (low pressure center over Portugal) and stormy conditions (cold drop over France). The warming of the Mediterranean Sea (up to +6°C compared to the period 1990-2020) has largely cont ...[Read More]

NP Interviews: Davide Faranda (CNRS) on the topic “global warming and extreme events in Europe”

Tommaso Alberti and Davide Faranda August 30, 2022

Davide Faranda is a physicist at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). His main interests are devoted to the construction of a statistical mechanical and dynamical systems framework for the study of atmospheric motions. In particular, his works aim at the characterization of the metastable states of the atmospheric circulation with simple mathematical and statistical tools, an ...[Read More]