As part of welcoming new members to the editorial team of Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics (NPG), we are pleased to present short interviews with two newly appointed editors, Dr. Kira Rehfeld and Dr. Jezabel Curbelo. They share their scientific backgrounds, motivations for joining the journal, editorial goals, and perspectives on emerging research directions in nonlinear geosciences. Their insigh ...[Read More]
Geodynamics
Fault characteristics, how close is close enough?
Have you ever wondered what common thing connects fault surfaces and their characteristics with your… squeezy sneakers on a wet surface or the required frequent change of your car tyres? Well, the answer is simple. The fundamental principles of stress and friction can significantly cause this behaviour in our everyday lives. However, these two factors can also be responsible for the slip behaviour ...[Read More]
Tectonics and Structural Geology
Our epic battle with ever-changing weather forecasts while deploying ocean bottom instruments
The question what drives tectonic plates has been around since plate tectonics was first developed. In principle, the fluid dynamics is well-known but what is not well known are the material properties, especially mantle viscosity structure which determines how much force is needed to pull a plate with a certain speed, but also how fast mantle convection, which may act as a driving force can occur ...[Read More]
Atmospheric Sciences
Building a library of observed air mass trajectories to study aerosol-cloud interactions
Marine low clouds, such as stratocumulus, play a central role in regulating Earth’s climate by reflecting incoming sunlight back to space. Yet these clouds are notoriously difficult to simulate and predict. One reason is that their evolution depends strongly on the surrounding atmosphere: temperature structure, moisture, winds, and aerosols all interact in complex ways. As a result, cloud response ...[Read More]
Climate: Past, Present & Future
CYCLIM: cycle counting a faster way
As we try to predict what will happen under increasing anthropogenic climate change, climate models can only get us so far. Another key is understanding past changes in the Earth’s climate. To do this, palaeoclimatologists turn to natural archives (e.g., sediment cores and speleothems) and extract records of past variability using their properties, such as chemical or physical composition. H ...[Read More]
Ocean Sciences
A Record-Breaking Indian Ocean Dipole: What Happened in 2021–2022?
The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is generally considered a seasonal mode of variability, developing and decaying within a single year. During 2021–2022, however, negative IOD conditions persisted for approximately 19 months (Figure 1, top left), making this event the longest—and among the strongest—observed since reliable records began. This unusual persistence highlights important aspects of ocean–a ...[Read More]
Geodynamics
The courage to be disliked: reflections on peer-review processes
Although often daunting and discouraging, every academic must navigate the inevitable process of peer review. In this week’s post, Jean-Baptiste Koehl, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oslo (Norway), reflects on what the future of peer review might be. Author disclaimer: The reflections presented here reflect my perspective grounded in my own experience. While peer review is a key mech ...[Read More]
Geomorphology
Highlighting: Fluvial Biogeomorphology! (Interview with Florian Betz)
This blog post is part of our series: “Highlights” for which we’re accepting contributions! Please contact Emma Lodes (GM blog editor, elodes@asu.edu), if you’d like to contribute on this topic or others. by Florian Betz, Principal Investigator at the Earth Observation Research Cluster at University of Würzburg. Email: florian.betz@uni-wuerzburg.de What is biogeomorphology and why is it important ...[Read More]
Natural Hazards
Extreme hourly rainfall is increasing in Italy: insights from high-resolution climate reanalysis
Intense rainfall lasting only a few hours is often enough to trigger natural hazards such as flash floods and landslides, leading to severe damage to infrastructure. These short-lived events are among the most dangerous natural hazards in the Mediterranean region, yet they are also among the hardest to study. Their small spatial scale and brief duration mean that they are often missed or underesti ...[Read More]
Solar-Terrestrial Sciences
Probing the Solar Wind with Spacecraft Radio Occultation Signals: Chasing a Unified Method to Probe the Sun
Introduction The solar wind, a continuous outflow of charged particles from the solar corona, plays a fundamental role in shaping the heliosphere and driving space weather. Its interaction with planetary magnetospheres and atmospheres regulates magnetospheric dynamics, influences atmospheric escape, and governs space weather hazards that can affect both space- and ground-based technologies. Despit ...[Read More]