Thank You to Our 2025 Peer Reviewers

Modeled and Observed Stratospheric Temperature Changes: Implications for Fingerprint Studies

Santer et al. warn that a recent U.S. Department of Energy report misrepresents their work and downplays the role of human activity in global warming. [Press Release]. Santer et al.

The Multi-Faceted Water Footprint of Data Centers

Data centers powering artificial intelligence consume significant amounts of water, highlighting the need for greater transparency regarding water use in both existing and planned facilities. Privette et al.

Explaining Glacial-Interglacial CO2 changes requires multiple ocean processes

Muglia highlights the work of Gray et al. (2026) from our first issue of the year to our understanding of glacial-interglacial changes in the carbon cycle.  Muglia

Global Observations Reveal Rapid Reorganization of Ocean Nutrients

Data reveal that changes in nutrient levels vary depending on depth and distance from shore—and that these changes are happening more quickly than scientists realized. Martiny et al.

The Fate of the Greenland Ice Sheet: Deep Learning from SkySat Images

Surface meltwater ponding and drainage in the Greenland Ice Sheet are analyzed at high spatial and temporal resolution through SkySat imagery and deep learning. Ryan et al.

Machine Learning Could Enhance Earth System Modeling

Based on tests of a machine learning-based (ML) hybrid model, combining ML with established physics-based frameworks represents a promising path toward developing ML-based Earth system models. Chen et al.

Glaciers May Flow into the Ocean More Quickly Than We Think

New research found that adjusting a key model variable may give more accurate predictions of glacial retreat. Martin et al.

Timing of Geomagnetic Storms Shapes Their Impact

The impact of geomagnetic storms, which can disrupt satellites, GPS, and power grids, is shown to depend on their onset timing. Ghag et al.

Stealth Superstorms Reveal Lightning on Jupiter: Beyond the Superbolt

On the gas giant, the strength and frequency of lightning appear to be more diverse than previously thought. Wong et al.

Toward Marine Cloud Brightening at Scale – A Science Agenda

Marine cloud brightening is a solar radiation management solution that could cool the planet by changing the albedo of low-altitude marine clouds to increase reflected shortwave radiation. Doherty et al.

The Effects of Carbonate Precipitation on the Physical Properties of Basalt

Lab-scale experiments monitoring the internal structure of basalt samples while injecting reactive fluids reveal how seismic waves could be used to monitor carbon mineralization in the field. Simpson et al.

More Braided Rivers from Increasing Flow Variability

Global analysis of satellite data and river flow records show that higher flow intermittency after climate change may lead to an increasing number of threads in braided rivers, thus impacting ecosystems. Zhao et al.

Trees Shed Their Leaves to Adapt to Droughts

The browning or loss of tree leaves that can be observed during droughts may be a coping mechanism to deal with dry circumstances by avoiding additional water stress. Quetin et al.

Managed Agriculture Hinders Predictability of Critical Zone Features

Shifts in the critical zone over time are attributed to environmental drivers using a data-driven approach and traced to changes in intensive management. Goodwell et al.

Amazon River Breezes Mimic Pollution in Clouds

Natural river breezes create clouds over the Amazon that mimic the signs of pollution, complicating climate impact assessments. Christensen et al.

What Makes Mars’s Magnetotail Flap?

Spacecraft reveal a key driver of up-and-down motions of thin, current-carrying plasma sheets on the nightside of Mars. Wen et al.

Future Wildfire Burned Areas in U.S. West May Be Overestimated

Using soil moisture as an indirect measure of fuel dryness leads to lower predictions for the total area of U.S. western forests burned by wildfires as global temperatures rise. [Also mentioned in This Week From AGU] Cheng et al.

Pre-Fire Fuel Conditions Are Dominant Drivers of Burn Severity in the 2025 Los Angeles County Fires

Estimations of fuel conditions from remote sensing could help guide pre-fire severity hazard assessments for more proactive land management. Ward-Baranyay et al.

Cosmic Silence

Bansal et al. [2026] introduce TranQuiL, a groundbreaking system that revolutionizes Radio Quiet Zone enforcement by enabling long-range detection and precise localization of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth interference with unparalleled accuracy.–Jothiram Vivekanandan, Radio Science

Wildfire Radar

Laureau [2026] demonstrates the use of operational weather radar measurements to track long-range ember fallout and rapid spread of intense wildfires in real time.–William J. Randel, JGR: Atmospheres

Ice Sheet Mass Loss

Glen’s Law describes the simple physics of ice flow that underpins ice sheet models, but Lilien et al. [2026] show that parameter choices substantially influence the outcome of model projections.–Ann Rowan, JGR: Earth Surface

Updating Usable Projections of Future Sea Level

This collection will further understanding of recent and ongoing progress related to projecting sea-level change and its drivers, as well as user perspectives on what has and has not worked in the use and communication of prior sea-level projections. We welcome original research both on process understanding and on deriving statistical and/or physical relationships from process understanding that can be represented in the emulators underlying probabilistic projection frameworks. The collection will accompany the Chapman Conference, "Updating Usable Projections of Future Sea Level", which will synthesize the current state of the science to build an actionable roadmap to the next generation of integrated sea-level projections. 

See the major themes and the call for papers