Research Papers
Peer-reviewed research papers and academic studies on climate change
Bonded Water Is an Integral Component of Dissolved Organic Matter in the Ocean
Abstract Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the ocean, as one of the largest pools of reduced carbon on Earth, plays an important role in the global carbon cycle, yet its...
Impacts of Mid‐Latitude Ionospheric Dynamics on RF Applications During the November 2025 Superstorm Event
Abstract This study demonstrates the intriguing and complex interplay among auroral precipitation, enhanced TEC, density irregularities, and amplitude scintillations observed during the November 2025 superstorm. For the first time, we...
Detectability of Forced ENSO Changes Under Global Warming: Insights From the Recharge Oscillator
Abstract We use perfect‐model, large‐ensemble nonlinear Recharge Oscillator (RO) simulations to quantify ENSO internal variability and the detectability of forced changes in ENSO characteristics. Fixed‐parameter simulations show that linear trends...
Escalating Uncertainty Under Increasing Risk in Compound Heat and Precipitation Extremes
Abstract Projection uncertainty fundamentally constrains climate adaptation, yet its evolution in compound heat and precipitation extremes (CHPE) remains poorly understood. Here we quantify CHPE uncertainty using 14 CMIP6 models and...
Fast Breakdowns Observed in the Initial Leaders of Two Energetic Compact Strokes
Abstract We have observed 1 fast positive breakdown (FPB) and 20 fast negative breakdowns (FNBs) for the first time in the initial leader of two energetic compact strokes (ECSs) using...
A Stochastic Approach for Recovery Times of Coastal Dune Vegetation
Abstract The resilience of coastal dunes to environmental stress largely depends on vegetation recovery, which promotes sediment trapping and sand stabilization. However, post‐disturbance recovery dynamics remain difficult to quantify due...
Dynamic Responses of Groundwater Flow and Salt Transport to Storm Surge Inundation in Unconfined Coastal Aquifers
Abstract Storm surges severely salinize coastal aquifers, yet post‐storm subsurface hydrodynamics remain poorly understood. We investigated surge inundation in unconfined tidal aquifers, revealing that subsurface flow recovers much faster than...
Decadal Reversal of Eurasian Winter Temperature Trend Linked to North Atlantic Climate Variability
Abstract The long‐term trend of Eurasian winter surface air temperature has undergone a distinct decadal change, shifting from a pronounced cooling trend between the late 1980s and late 2000s to...
Trends in Heat Stress During Heat Waves Across Europe (1979–2023)
Abstract With heat waves becoming more frequent and intense under global warming, heat stress is a growing public health risk. We analyze heat stress trends (Simplified Wet Bulb Globe Temperature,...
Dominant Biases in Atmospheric Radiative Heating Rates in Global Climate Models
Abstract The Earth’s energy budget is fundamental to climate, and its accurate simulations in global climate models (GCMs) are essential for climate projections. While studies have validated energy budget at...
Gas Measurements Reveal Fractional Degassing and Water Interaction During a Flank Eruption of Pacaya Volcano (Guatemala)
Abstract SO2 flux and gas composition were measured during the 2021 flank eruption of Pacaya Volcano (Guatemala). The SO2 flux, measured with Tropomi, gradually rose from ∼2 to ∼30 kg/s...
Observation of Yanai Wave Excitation by Tropical Instability Waves in the Equatorial Pacific
Abstract Yanai waves are observed in the central equatorial Pacific at 436–864 m depth, below the Equatorial Undercurrent. Applying maximum likelihood estimation to shipboard ADCP measurements enables identification of Yanai...
Emergent Regimes of River Meandering and Permafrost Extent in Arctic Floodplains
Abstract Permafrost in Arctic floodplains impacts carbon stores, ecosystems, and infrastructure, yet the processes controlling its distribution remain poorly constrained. Here we present a numerical model for the coupled evolution...
Global Improvement of Tropical Cyclone Representation Enhances Hindcasts of Extreme Sea Levels Over 68 Years
Abstract The underrepresentation of tropical cyclones (TCs) in state‐of‐the‐art atmospheric reanalyses such as ERA5 is well known, yet their impact on global hindcasts of extreme sea levels remains largely unaddressed....
3D Subduction Interface Model for the Hikurangi Margin, New Zealand: Implications for Slow Slip Events
Abstract We present a new 3D Hikurangi subduction interface model by using an implicit modeling approach that integrates seismic‐reflection profiles, relocated hypocenters, focal mechanism orientations, and tomographic interpretations. The model...
Re‐Evaluating Inherited SIF Anomaly Detection Methods for the 2024 Amazon Drought: A 3D Convolutional Autoencoder Approach
Abstract In the past decade, the Amazon has experienced multiple severe droughts, raising critical questions about how vegetation stress can be detected using remote sensing indicators such as Solar‐Induced Chlorophyll...
Migrating as an adaptive pathway? Gendered and ambivalent mobility outcomes along the adaptation–maladaptation continuum
While mobility can represent an adaptive or a maladaptive strategy in the context of climate change, its outcomes remain far from straightforward. Drawing on fieldwork conducted in a prominent yet...
Climate change and food security in sustainable finance: a South African perspective
In South Africa, climate change is increasingly threatening food security through droughts, irregular rainfall, high temperatures, floods, water shortage and reduced agricultural productivity. This study conducted a systematic review of...
Identifying and Correcting Inhomogeneities in the Near‐Surface Specific Humidity Record
Abstract There are notable discrepancies between near‐surface humidity trends in observational products as compared to climate models. Here, we explore the extent to which the discrepancy can be explained by...
A database-integrated framework to support EU taxonomy aligned physical climate risk assessment in the energy sector
IntroductionClimate change increases physical risks to energy infrastructure, and sustainability regulations such as the EU Taxonomy consequently require that companies conduct physical climate risk and vulnerability assessments consistent with IPCC...
The role of small Heat Shock Proteins in Trypanosoma cruzi infection and intestinal homeostasis in a Chagas disease vector
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 34, August 2026. SignificanceThis study demonstrates that small Heat Shock Proteins (sHSPs) serve as critical regulators of digestive physiology and...
A peripheral carboxysome component regulates cyanobacterial glycogen deposition
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 34, August 2026. SignificanceCarboxysomes are among the best-studied bacterial microcompartments with well-defined roles in specifying a subcellular microenvironment to promote...
4000-year-old painted plaque from Southeast Indonesia reveals Austronesian Painting Tradition preceded Neolithic pottery
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 34, August 2026. SignificanceThe dispersal of the Austronesian language family was the most widespread human migration in prehistory. Excavations on...
VIA1 is a conserved regulator of thylakoid membrane integrity that acts through VIPP1
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 34, August 2026. SignificanceAll organisms performing oxygenic photosynthesis rely on thylakoid membranes to capture light and produce oxygen. Yet these...
The 1820 Mallorca plague was not a classic bubonic outbreak
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 34, August 2026. SignificanceUnderstanding how plague spread in the centuries before bacteriology requires integrating historical evidence with modern analytical tools....
Neonatal diethylstilbestrol exposure disrupts uterine epithelial apical–basal polarity and partial EMT state
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 34, August 2026. SignificanceUterine development is strongly impacted by brief exposure to estrogenic endocrine disruptors, but it is unclear what...
Exploiting the CXCR3/CXCL10 axis overrides tumor immune suppression by enhancing immune trafficking and effector cell priming in HNSCC
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 34, August 2026. SignificanceIntratumoral (IT) delivery of CXCL10 suppresses tumor growth and recurrence in murine models of head and neck...
Structural rearrangements of PDGFRβ in the membrane upon activation by the viral oncoprotein E5
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 34, August 2026. SignificanceThis work uncovers the molecular details by which the short viral oncoprotein, E5 from bovine papillomavirus, hijacks...
Brassinosteroid-regulated transcription factors confer epigenetic changes that repress plant immunity
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 34, August 2026. SignificanceSteroid hormones are powerful regulators of growth but also act as potent suppressors of immunity, with well-established...
White-matter functional connectivity uniquely predicts brain age, cognition, and psychopathology beyond gray-matter connectivity
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 34, August 2026. SignificanceAlthough functional signals have been detected in human white matter (WM), whether functional connectivity (FC) involving WM...
Genomic signatures of dairy adaptation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae from traditional Yaghnob goat-cheese fermentation
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 34, August 2026. SignificanceThe yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae, known for its role in wine, bread, and beer fermentation, has also been found...
Peter H. Raven: Botanist, evolutionary biologist, and biodiversity champion
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 34, August 2026. Peter H. Raven was a transformative leader whose influence extended far beyond his own research. From a...
Hydrogen-ready infrastructure risks new carbon lock-in
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 34, August 2026.
In This Issue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 34, August 2026.
Autoantibodies neutralizing type I interferons underlie a third of cases of Chikungunya virus encephalitis or myelitis
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 34, August 2026. SignificanceChikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection results in life-threatening central nervous system (CNS) complications in rare cases. We found...
Drag‐Controlled Regime Transitions in the Eddy Saturation Mechanism of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current
Abstract Eddy saturation—the weak sensitivity of Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) transport to wind stress—is a fundamental feature of Southern Ocean dynamics, yet the processes that maintain this state remain debated....
Internal Structure and Formation Process of a Giant East Antarctic Grounding‐Zone Wedge
Abstract The marine‐based portions of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet are currently losing mass at an accelerating rate due to atmospheric and oceanic forcing. Assessing these changes requires understanding long‐term...
Enhanced Occurrence of Springtime Extreme Precipitation Associated With Mesoscale Convective Systems Over the US by Baroclinic Annular Mode
Abstract Mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) are powerful contributors to extreme precipitation, often resulting in flash floods. However, the extent to which these systems are influenced by natural modes of climate...
Lakes Amplify Carbon Emissions Relative to Downstream Export in Aquatic Networks
Abstract Inland waters emit and export large quantities of carbon (C), and the balance between emission and export determines the role of inland waters in the global C cycle. Modeling...
Widespread Divergence Between Precipitation and Discharge Trends Across Global Rivers
Abstract Precipitation is widely perceived to drive river flow (discharge), yet many rivers have experienced declining flow despite increasing precipitation, or vice versa. Here we quantify the prevalence of such...
Normalized Regime Persistence: A Simple Metric to Diagnose Land Feedback States
Abstract Land feedbacks regulate energy flux partitioning and hydroclimatic extremes, yet their global characterization remains constrained by global‐scale robust flux estimates. Here, we introduce a new observation‐driven metric that circumvents...
The price of paradise: how communities tolerate chronic coastal flooding in rural North Carolina
Sea-level rise (SLR) poses a growing threat to the livability of coastal communities, leading to many projections of out-migration in the coming decades. However, communities’ experiences with and responses to...
Sensitivity to climate Delta selection in Pseudo-global warming simulations of mesoscale convective systems: case study of the august 2022 event in northern Japan
The pseudo-global warming (PGW) method is widely used to examine climate-change impacts on heavy rainfall. However, the thermodynamic variables selected as climate deltas in PGW experiments often differ among studies...
Improved real-time prediction of zonally propagating extratropical intraseasonal oscillations in the upgraded IAP-CAS S2S system
Reliable subseasonal prediction of extratropical intraseasonal variability remains a major challenge, despite its importance for Eurasian high-impact weather. Here we evaluate real-time forecasts of three dominant zonally propagating extratropical intraseasonal...
Locating Moonquakes With Single‐Station Seismology
Abstract Renewed international interest in lunar seismometer deployments requires robust single‐station location approach for the highly scattering Moon’s crust. We present an event‐location strategy using major lunar event types recorded...
Methane Emissions From U.S. Lakes Dominated by Ebullition, Shallow Zones, and Anthropogenic Drivers
Abstract Lakes are globally important sources of atmospheric methane (CH4), yet a process‐based understanding of their emissions and drivers at regional scales remains limited. Here we developed and applied a...
Extended Fire Season Over Eastern Siberia Driven by Accumulated August–September Drought
Abstract Siberian wildfires, a major disturbance to ecosystems and carbon cycles, have intensified in recent decades, yet long‐term changes in fire seasonality remain unclear. Here, using a refined fire‐season framework,...
AMOC Weakening Controls δ18O but Not Rainfall in North China During Deglacial Abrupt Events
Abstract East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) varied at orbital and millennial timescales during the Last Deglaciation (∼20–11 ka). The uniform δ18O response in East China is often linked to EASM...