More than 60 % of the world's cities receive more precipitation than the rural areas around them, according to a study published in PNAS. The paper cites southern European cities such as Milan and Barcelona as examples of these ‘notable anomalies’, but adds that this phenomenon is not common in central and northern Europe. The research team analysed satellite and radar data from more than 1,000 cities around the world between 2001 and 2020.
In 64 % of the cases, the temperature thresholds that define a heatwave according to the Ministry of Health are below the heatwave threshold established by AEMET. This implies that the population does not perceive situations of risk to their health when they do exist.
The Atlantic Meridional Circulation (AMOC), a large system of ocean currents that transports warm water from the tropics to the North Atlantic, could collapse around the year 2050 with serious consequences for the climate, according to estimates by researchers at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark). The IPCC considered a complete collapse unlikely during the 21st century. The results are published in the journal Nature Communications and the authors do not rule out that this collapse may be partial.
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has declared the onset of El Niño conditions on Tuesday. "The declaration of El Niño by the WMO is the signal for governments around the world to mobilise preparations to limit the impacts on our health, our ecosystems and our economies," said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. According to the WMO statement, El Niño conditions have developed in the tropical Pacific for the first time in seven years, setting the stage for a likely rise in global temperatures and altered weather and climate patterns.
After three years in which the planet's climate has experienced a phenomenon known as La Niña, in 2023 it gives way to its opposite, El Niño. This has led the World Meteorological Organization to warn that this event, added to climate change, could cause the 1.5 °C limit to be exceeded in the next five years. But what are these "children", how do they affect Spain, how long will they last?
In the midst of an energy, economic and geopolitical crisis, and still in a pandemic, the Climate Summit in Egypt (COP27) will kick off on 6 November with the challenge of bringing the climate fight to the forefront. We explain the main stumbling blocks, the unfinished business from the previous summit and the goals it has set itself.
An international team led by researchers at the University of Copenhagen has detected a new class of extremely reactive chemical compounds in tha atmpsphere, the 'trioxides'. The challenge now is to understand the role of trioxides in climate and air quality. The result is presented in Science.