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    This figure shows the responses to 1970-2016 temperature and precipitation trends.
    September 21, 2023
    Arctic greenhouse gas responses to climate change
    Shuang Ma
    Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
    The Arctic region is heating up twice as fast as the global average. Despite relatively few plant per area compared to the temperate and tropic regions, Arctic regions are key stores of soil organic carbon (SOC) which play a major role in the greenhouse gas balance of high-latitude ecosystems. Read more >

    2 rows of graphs with Air Temperature or Wet Bulb Temperature on vs. time of day on the x-axis. The graphs are overlay on a map of southern California. There are 3 regions highlighted - Central Los Angeles, Southern Los Angeles, and the northern and western valley regions.
    June 27, 2023
    Heatwaves and health impacts in California
    Anamika Shreevastava
    Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
    Heatwaves in California occur in both dry and humid forms, but recent studies indicate a shift towards more humid events. This research focuses on two contrasting heatwaves that affected southern California in the summer of 2020. Read more >

    Net Biome Production (NBP) shows the ability of forests to take up carbon.
    May 22, 2023
    Arctic-Boreal Carbon Balance at a Tipping Point
    Renato Braghiere
    Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
    As concerns about climate change continue to mount, a recent study conducted by a team of scientists at Jet Propulsion Laboratory and California Institute of Technology has shed light on the effects of climate change on the Arctic-Boreal carbon balance. Read more >

    Comparison of Climate Modeling Alliance Land predicted quantities to benchmark data sets.
    May 22, 2023
    Improving Climate Predictions
    Renato Braghiere
    Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
    Land surface models are vital for predicting how our planet will respond to climate change. By combining these models with satellite-based observations – historically and in real time – we can make more accurate predictions. Read more >

    This global map shows predicted NP limitation for the period 1994–2005.
    May 22, 2023
    Plant Nutrient Acquisition
    Renato Braghiere
    Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
    In the quest to better understand Earth's ecosystems, scientists at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, leveraging remote sensing data and Earth system modeling, have made significant strides in uncovering the global carbon costs associated with plant nutrient acquisition. Read more >

    A projection map of the Earth with varying shades of blue indicating ozone anomaly.
    March 30, 2023
    COVID-19’s Atmospheric Fingerprint
    Kazuyuki Miyazaki
    Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

    In early 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the globe, many countries imposed strict lockdowns to slow the spread of the coronavirus. As people stayed home, ground and air travel decreased, allowing us to study the impact on air pollution.

    Read more >

    This graphic shows the US states as squares. Researchers at JPL compared AIRS measurements of water vapor in the lower atmosphere with flu case estimates over a twelve year period. For each state, they identified specific levels of low humidity that signal the start of a flu outbreak.
    October 27, 2022
    How the Relationship Between Humidity and Influenza Varies Across the United States
    Heidar Thor Thrastarson
    Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

    The influenza, or flu, virus infects millions of people in the United States each year, mostly during winter. To help limit the impacts of seasonal flu outbreaks, scientists have been trying to anticipate when the outbreaks occur using a variety of information.

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    Airborne imagery of different representative biomes.
    July 12, 2022
    Designing a Space Mission to Maximize Science
    Kerry Cawse-Nicholson
    Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

    When designing a space mission, there are many parameters to take into account. There are often trade-offs between different design parameters.

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    Photo of a city skyline with mountains in the background.
    June 7, 2022
    Examining future changes in heat stress
    Colin Raymond
    Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology /UCLA

    Heat stress is a rapidly increasing threat to human health and energy demand across the US and the globe. Both high temperatures and high moisture levels are important contributors to heat stress, and it is well-known that future temperature increases will generally be larger in mountains due to there being much less snow and drier soils.

    Read more >

    Photo of a very dry corn field.
    March 8, 2022
    Quantifying correlated risks in a warmer world
    Colin Raymond
    Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology /UCLA

    Sequences of extreme climate events, or multiple ones occurring simultaneously, can have impacts that are ‘larger than the sum of their parts’.

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    A graphical outline of the concept behind the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on our atmosphere.
    November 16, 2021
    The COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on our atmosphere
    Joshua Laughner
    Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

    In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, measures enacted by local, state, and national governments to slow the spread of the virus also caused reductions in some human activities, such as traffic. This, in turn, led to lower emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants in a very short time period.

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    Image of the International Space Station with inset view of ECOSTRESS.
    September 13, 2021
    Monitoring Plant Stress from the International Space Station
    Kerry Cawse-Nicholson
    Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

    As our climate changes, droughts are becoming more frequent, with more than 20% of land in the Western US currently experiencing extreme or exceptional drought.

    Read more >

    A globe centered on the United States with the expected changes in NOx concentration for a selection of US cities.
    November 8, 2019
    The lifetime of air pollutants
    Joshua Laughner
    Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology / UC Berkeley

    NOx is a family of air pollutants that are a key factor controlling amounts of both ozone and particulate matter (PM) in the air. Reducing NOx emissions has been an important strategy for improving air quality in the US for decades.

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