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Conflict-induced ship traffic disruptions constrain cloud sensitivity to stricter marine pollution regulations

Militia attacks on ships in the Red Sea disrupted container ship traffic in 2024. We use these traffic changes to quantify how the cloud-altering properties of ship pollution decreased following sulfur regulations in 2020 with measurements of two types of ship pollution, one of which is sensitive to fuel composition and another which is not. Near Africa, cloud changes in 2024 were nearly as large as before the regulations, but only one-third as strong after accounting for increased traffic.

Novel oxalate-carbonate pathways identified in the tropical dry evergreen forest of Tamil Nadu, India

The oxalate-carbonate pathway, where trees and microbes store inorganic carbon as minerals, was studied on four tree species of the threatened tropical dry evergreen forest Indian forest. We used high-throughput sequencing of a gene to detect oxalate-degrading microbes. For all tree species, produced oxalate led to carbonate formation in soils and on wood. This carbon may be leached into water, suggesting a hidden source of inorganic carbon with implications for climate and conservation.

The frosty frontier: redefining the mid-latitude tropopause using the relative humidity over ice

We present a new technique to determine the tropopause based on the gradient of relative humidity over ice. This approach captures the character of the tropopause remarkably well, both in individual vertical profiles and in long-term averages, providing a consistent and physically meaningful representation of the transition between the troposphere and the stratosphere.

Recent history and future demise of Jostedalsbreen, the largest ice cap in mainland Europe

We model the historical and future evolution of the Jostedalsbreen ice cap in Norway, projecting substantial and largely irreversible mass loss for the 21st century, and that the ice cap will split into three parts. Further mass loss is in the pipeline, with a disappearance during the 22nd century under high emissions. Our study demonstrates an approach to model complex ice masses, highlights uncertainties due to precipitation, and calls for further research on long-term future glacier change.

An adaptable DTS-based parametric method to probe near-surface vertical temperature profiles at millimeter resolution

We present the the Fine Resolution Adaptable Distributed Temperature Sensing (FRADTS) method, which allows for mm-resolution probing of vertical temperature profiles, using coil-based distributed temperature sensing. The method is fully open source and parametric, such that unique field setups can be generated and reproduced. The method is extensively tested within a ~10cm grass canopy in a field campaign.

The TropoPause Composition TOwed Sensor Shuttle (TPC-TOSS): a new airborne dual platform approach for atmospheric composition measurements at the tropopause

Deployed on a Learjet as a tandem measurement platform during the TPEx I (TropoPause composition gradients and mixing Experiment) campaign in June 2024, the new TPC-TOSS (TropoPause Composition Towed Sensor Shuttle) system delivers high-resolution in situ data on ozone, aerosol, and key meteorological parameters. Laboratory and in-flight tests confirmed its precision and stability. Observed gradients near the tropopause reveal active mixing and transport processes in the tropopause region.

A statistical study of the O₂ atmospheric band aurora observed by the Swedish satellite MATS

This study uses images taken by the Swedish satellite MATS (Mesospheric Airglow Tomography and Spectroscopy) to conduct a statistical analysis of the molecular oxygen atmospheric band emissions in the aurora. This auroral emission can not be observed from the ground, making it one of the least understood auroral emissions. Our results provide a new dataset with information on the peak altitude, geomagnetic location, and auroral intensity of 378 events detected between February and April 2023.

IASI global radiometric uncertainty budget

This study establishes the global radiometric uncertainty budget of the Infrared Atmospheric Sounder Interferometer (IASI) instruments onboard Eumetsat first generation MetOp satellites. Major contributions to the budget arise from the correction of the analog non-linearity, the black body characterization, the scan mirror reflectivity and the background radiance instability. The estimated uncertainty remains relatively stable throughout the lifetime of the instruments.

The airborne chicago water isotope spectrometer: an integrated cavity output spectrometer for measurements of the HDO ∕ H₂O isotopic ratio in the Asian Summer Monsoon

The water molecule comes in several different varieties, which are nearly indistinguishable in daily life. However, slight differences between the water molecule types can be exploited to achieve better scientific understanding of parts of Earth's atmosphere. In this work we describe the design, construction, and operation of an instrument meant to measure these molecules aboard research aircraft up to altitudes of 20 km.

Progressive destabilization of a freestanding rock pillar in permafrost on the Matterhorn (Swiss Alps): Hydro-mechanical modeling and analysis

On 13 June 2023, a freestanding rock pillar on the Matterhorn collapsed after years of weakening. Our study examines this progressive destabilization by analyzing field data and integrating lab experiments into a hydro-mechanical model. We highlight the critical role of water infiltration into frozen rock, intensified by climate warming, as a widespread driver of the rising frequency of rockfalls in high mountain permafrost regions.

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