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Catastrophic floods in the Atacama Desert

Breaking waves and moisture transport drive extreme precipitation events

  • Press release
  • 9 March 2021

Two intertwined atmospheric processes drive the formation of many extreme precipitation events, especially in dry subtropical regions, according to a study published in Weather and Climate Dynamics. The results show these combined processes have played a key role in creating many historic flooding events, which have led to thousands of fatalities and injuries and billions of dollars in damage.


Retreat of the ice giants

EGU announces new Marie Tharp Medal

  • EGU news
  • 8 March 2021

Each year the EGU honours individuals for their significant contributions to the Earth, planetary, and space sciences. Union members are asked to submit their nominations for all 2022 medals and awards by 15 June 2021.


vEGU21-banner-no-hashtag-DISCOVER-for-web

Everything you need to know about the vEGU21 schedule!

  • EGU news
  • 3 March 2021

From ten keynote presentations and dozens of Short Courses to thousands of vPICO presentations, the programme for the EGU General Assembly 2021 is now finalized. Here, the most up-to-date schedule information—all in one place.



Highlight articles

The Cryosphere

Diverging responses of high-latitude CO2 and CH4 emissions in idealized climate change scenarios

The present study investigates the response of the high-latitude carbon cycle to changes in atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations in idealized climate change scenarios. We find that at a global mean temperature of roughly 1.75 K (±0.5 K) above pre-industrial levels the high-latitude ecosystem turns from a CO2 sink into a source of atmospheric carbon, with the net fluxes into the atmosphere increasing substantially with rising atmospheric GHG concentrations. This is very different from scenario simulations with the standard version of the MPI-ESM, in which the region continues to take up atmospheric CO2 throughout the entire 21st century.



Climate of the Past

Lower oceanic δ13C during the last interglacial period compared to the Holocene

The last time in Earth’s history when high latitudes were warmer than during pre-industrial times was the last interglacial period (LIG, 129–116 ka  BP). Since the LIG is the most recent and best documented interglacial, it can provide insights into climate processes in a warmer world. However, some key features of the LIG are not well constrained, notably the oceanic circulation and the global carbon cycle. Here, we use a new database of LIG benthic δ13C to investigate these two aspects.


Latest posts from EGU blogs

The Sassy Scientist – The Web of Influence

The Sassy Scientist – The Web of Influence

Despite finishing his experiments and writing up his thesis during a pandemic, Markus wants to keep climbing the academic pyramid. Reflecting on some of his choices during his PhD, he now asks: I didn’t spend anytime building my network during my PhD. Can I get a postdoc? Dear Markus, Of course! Academia represents the pursuit of scientific knowledge and the expansion of our collective understanding of The World as a species. Therefore, as science is broadly interested with measuring and …


GeoPolicy: Social media is influencing our political behaviour, democracies, and scientific communities

GeoPolicy: Social media is influencing our political behaviour, democracies, and scientific communities

A recently published report from the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre has found that our democracy is under pressure from the influence that social media has on our political opinions and our behaviours. What can be done to mitigate this and what could it mean for our democracy, society and scientific community? The pros and cons of living in an increasingly online world The pros and cons of living in an increasingly online world The COVID-19 pandemic has affected our …


Climate Change and Cryosphere – What can we learn from the smallest, most vulnerable glaciers in the Ötztal Alps?

Climate Change and Cryosphere – What can we learn from the smallest, most vulnerable glaciers in the Ötztal Alps?

The Alps were the first mountains to be studied from a glaciological point of view in the 19th century and they host some of the most studied glaciers of Earth. Some of them are found in the Central Alps and in particular, the Ötztal Alps. Just to cite the most known and largest glaciers in this Alpine sector, we can mention Hintereisferner or Vernagtferner. But in the Ötztal Alps you can also find many small glaciers which, as it often …