climate Archives

A heatmap of Planck-weighted correlated-k tables to complement Figure 5 of PICASO 3.0 release in order to show any major differences between opacity and chemistry updates. The four panels correspond to Gauss points 1, 3, 5, and 7 (shown in the title of each panel). The dashed black lines correspond to Sonora-bobcat pressure-temperature profiles at increasing effective temperatures for reference (as labeled in the upper left panel) (Marley et al. 2021). All major features of the correlated-k tables remain the same between v3 and v4. -- astro-ph.EP

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Brown Dwarfs, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

PICASO 4.0: Clouds And Photochemistry In Climate Models Of Brown Dwarfs And Exoplanets

by Keith CowingFebruary 28, 2026February 28, 2026

We present a major update to the open-source atmospheric modeling package PICASO, designed for simulating the thermal structure and spectra of hydrogen-rich atmospheres of brown dwarfs and exoplanets.

Allan Hills, Antarctica Credit: Photo by Austin Carter, COLDEX

Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Press Release

Course Correction Needed Quickly To Avoid Pathway To ‘Hothouse Earth’ Scenario

by Keith CowingFebruary 15, 2026February 15, 2026

Scientists say multiple Earth system components appear closer to destabilization than previously believed, putting the planet in increased danger of following a “hothouse” path driven by feedback loops that can […]

Strength of key long-term feedbacks governing Earth’s climate system (Forster et al. 2021; Arnscheidt & Rothman 2020; Abbot 2016; Koll & Cronin 2018). Each bar represents the feedback parameter in W m−2 K −1 , estimated from Earth system model assessments and paleoclimate constraints. The upper axis shows the approximate feedback strength associated with a 50 K climate perturbation, representative of transitions between major states (e.g., snowball to temperate). Feedbacks are sorted by magnitude. Negative values (blue) represent stabilizing feedbacks that damp temperature changes, while positive values (orange) indicate destabilizing feedbacks that amplify them. Outgoing longwave radiation and the carbonate–silicate cycle are among the strongest stabilizing processes, while the ice–albedo feedback exerts a strong destabilizing influence. Models incorporating the three dominant feedbacks explain the general behavior of Earth’s long-term mean climate. -- astro-ph.EP

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Status Report

Not Earth-like Yet Temperate? More Generic Climate Feedback Configurations Still Allow Temperate Climates in Habitable Zone Exo-Earth Candidates

by Keith CowingFebruary 14, 2026February 14, 2026

Earth’s climate is influenced by over a dozen feedbacks, but only three dominate its long-term climate behavior. Models of the exoplanet habitable zone (HZ) assume that this is similar for […]

Artist’s impression of Earth around 700 million years ago during Snowball Earth Credit This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Attribution must be given to Pablo Carlos Budassi.

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Extinction events, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Ancient Rocks Reveal Annual Climate Cycles During Snowball Earth

by Keith CowingFebruary 6, 2026February 6, 2026

Scientists at the University of Southampton have uncovered evidence from ancient rocks that the Earth’s climate continued to fluctuate during its most extreme ice age – known as Snowball Earth.

Quantitative morphological metric extraction results and numerical simulation results. A. Spatial distribution of DAF across the study area, overlaid on a shaded relief base map derived from DTEEC_033165_2195_032875_2195_A01 (26). Colors represent specific DAF values indicated by the color bar on the bottom right. The MBT boundary is shown as a black dashed line. B. Schematic diagram defining the key morphological feature of MBT. The curve represents the terrain tangent of MBT. The yellow shaded areas indicate depression. The dashed line represents the depression threshold elevation (DTE) (see SI Appendix). C-E. HiRISE images of three local MBT in the study area. All three images share the same scale-bar. F-H. Detrended observed elevation data for three MBT areas shown in C-E, respectively (SI Appendix, Fig. S3). The white contour lines, which correspond to DTE values, outline the depression areas. Colors indicate elevation value using a color bar shown to the right of H. The I-K. Simulation results with increasing maximum stone movement rate (𝑣max): 3.25 mm/cycle (I), 3.40 mm/cycle (J) and 3.90 mm/cycle(K).Colors represent the simulated elevation using a common color bar shown to the right of K. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Sculpting Of Martian Brain Terrain Reveals The Drying Of Ancient Mars

by Keith CowingFebruary 5, 2026February 5, 2026

The Martian brain terrain (MBT), characterized by its unique brain-like morphology, is a potential geological archive for finding hints of paleoclimatic conditions during its formation period.

Mars dust storm captured by ESA’s Mars Express near the north polar ice cap. Credits: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (larger image)

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Desert Worlds, Habitable Zones, Mars, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

An Unusual Dust Storm Reveals How Mars Lost Some Of Its Water

by Keith CowingFebruary 3, 2026

The current image of Mars as an arid and hostile desert contrasts with the history revealed by its surface. Channels, minerals altered by water, and other geological traces indicate that […]

The different Solar System bodies and exoplanets this chapter focuses on, and associated missions. Those with a strong PlanetS involvement are shown with an asterisk. -- astro-ph.EP

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Climates Of Terrestrial Exoplanets And Biosignatures

by Keith CowingJanuary 29, 2026January 29, 2026

Understanding the climates of terrestrial exoplanets and the detectability of biosignatures is an inherently interdisciplinary challenge, requiring the integration of insights from Solar System exploration, exoplanet observations and climate science. […]

Seasonal variations of circulation patterns during the eastward phase (the top two rows) and the westward phase (the bottom two rows) under nonsynchronous rotation. Each row, from left to right, corresponds to the snapshot at vernal equinox, summer solstice, fall equinox, and winter solstice. For each phase: the top panels show horizontal temperature maps (K) near the photosphere (∼0.2 bar) with horizontal winds as arrows as functions of longitude and latitude. The intersection of the horizontal and vertical black lines (marked by red filled circles) denotes the substellar point. The bottom panels display zonal-mean zonal wind (colors, m s−1 ) and temperature (contours, K) as functions of latitude and pressure. -- astro-ph.EP

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Status Report

Atmospheric Circulation Of High-Obliquity Mini-Neptunes

by Keith CowingJanuary 27, 2026January 27, 2026

With the operation of JWST, atmospheric characterization has now extended to low-mass exoplanets.

A schematic illustration of the evolution of the Earth System

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Setting Up The Physical Principles Of Resilience In A Model Of The Earth System

by Keith CowingJanuary 18, 2026January 18, 2026

Resilience is a property of social, ecological, social-ecological and biophysical systems. It describes the capacity of a system to cope with, adapt to and innovate in response to a changing […]