The United States is no stranger to bone-chilling winter cold, despite a warming climate. A recent study has shed light on why this phenomenon persists, pointing to two specific patterns in the polar vortex – a swirling mass of cold air high in the stratosphere. These variations can steer extreme cold to different regions of the country, often contradicting broader warming trends.

Researchers from an international team, including Prof. Chaim Garfinkel (Hebrew University), Dr. Laurie Agel and Prof. Mathew Barlow (University of Massachusetts), Prof. Judah Cohen (MIT and Atmospheric and Environmental Research AER), Karl Pfeiffer (Atmospheric and Environmental Research Hampton), and Prof. Jennifer Francis (Woodwell Climate Research Center), have published their findings in Science Advances.

The study reveals that since 2015, the Northwest US has experienced more of these cold outbreaks due to a shift in stratospheric behavior tied to broader climate cycles. In contrast, other regions may experience milder winters. Understanding this relationship can improve long-range forecasting, allowing cities, power grids, and agriculture to better prepare for winter extremes – even as the climate warms overall.

“It’s not just about warming everywhere all the time,” explained the researchers. “Climate change also means more complex and sometimes counterintuitive shifts in where extreme weather shows up.”

The work was funded by a US NSF-BSF grant by Chaim Garfinkel of HUJI and Judah Cohen of AER&MIT, highlighting the importance of international collaboration in addressing global climate challenges.

Scientists from the Hereon Institute of Coastal Ocean Dynamics have made a groundbreaking discovery by capturing high-resolution images of the ocean surface using a specially developed laser measurement system. Led by Dr. Marc Buckley, the team has successfully mapped the interactions between wind and waves on the open ocean, shedding new light on the complex mechanisms that control energy exchange between the atmosphere and the ocean.

Using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), an established technique in fluid dynamics, the researchers were able to visualize both the air and water sides of the ocean surface. The laser beam passed through both media, illuminating tiny droplets suspended in the air above the water. This allowed the team to capture precise information about flow structure and wind speeds.

The breakthrough findings reveal two distinct wind-wave coupling mechanisms that occur simultaneously but operate differently. Short waves, approximately one meter in length, move slower than the wind, creating a pressure difference that transfers energy to the wave. Long waves, up to 100 meters in length, move faster than the wind and generate different airflow patterns through their motion.

These discoveries have significant implications for advancing atmospheric and oceanic models. The interactions between wind and waves are a central component of the Earth’s climate and weather systems, controlling the exchange of energy, heat, and greenhouse gases between the atmosphere and the ocean.

The research team plans to further develop the system to capture movements below the water surface with greater precision. This cutting-edge research aims to preserve a world worth living in by generating knowledge and researching new technologies for greater resilience and sustainability – for the benefit of the climate, the coast, and people.

The article highlights the crucial aspect of climate change that has often been overlooked – its impact on the nutritional quality of food crops. Rising CO2 levels and hotter temperatures can lead to a reduction in key minerals like calcium and certain antioxidant compounds, making the crops less healthy. This is not just a problem for farmers but also for consumers, as it can lead to diets that are higher in calories but poorer in nutritional value.

The research, led by Jiata Ugwah Ekele, a PhD student at Liverpool John Moores University, UK, used environment-controlled growth chambers to simulate the UK’s predicted future climate scenarios. The crops were grown under different conditions, and their nutritional quality was analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and X-Ray Fluorescence profiling.

The preliminary results suggest that elevated levels of atmospheric CO2 can help crops grow faster and bigger but certainly not healthier. The interaction between CO2 and heat stress had complex effects – the crops did not grow as big or fast, and the decline in nutritional quality intensified.

This research has serious implications for human health and wellbeing. The altered balance of nutrients in crops could contribute to diets that are higher in calories but poorer in nutritional value, leading to greater risks of obesity and type 2 diabetes, particularly in populations already struggling with non-communicable diseases.

Crops with poor nutritional content can also lead to deficiencies in vital proteins and vitamins that compromise the human immune system and exacerbate existing health conditions – particularly in low or middle-income countries.

The research highlights the importance of studying multiple stressors together and emphasizes that we cannot generalize across crops. Different species react differently to climate change stressors, making it essential to study each crop individually.

This research is not just about food production but also about human development and climate adaptation. It’s essential to think holistically about the kind of food system we’re building – one that not only produces enough food but also promotes health, equity, and resilience.

The findings of this research are being presented at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Antwerp, Belgium on July 8th, 2025. The researchers are open to collaborating further on this project with the wider research community, including those from agriculture, nutrition, and climate policy.