http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (Phys.org) —Scientists at China's Lanzhou University and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory found that dust lifted from the Taklimakan Desert during a dust storm had a significant effect on the regional climate. The 2006 storm was aggravated by a cold front that pushed the dust to the highest level of the atmosphere over the northern Tibetan Plateau in China, affecting the balance of heat in the region's atmosphere. The ability to accurately model such storms will help in understanding the climatic impact of dust. http://phys.org/news287047262.html Space & Earth Mon, 06 May 2013 08:21:13 EST news287047262 (Phys.org) —A NASA-led modeling study provides new evidence that global warming may increase the risk for extreme rainfall and drought. http://phys.org/news286812269.html Space & Earth Fri, 03 May 2013 15:04:40 EST news286812269 (Phys.org) —Giant ancient corals off the coast of Madagascar have revealed that climate swings thousands of kilometres away in the Pacific Ocean have a major impact on rainfall variations in the Western Indian Ocean, adding new insight to managing water resources in a warming climate. http://phys.org/news284274470.html Space & Earth Thu, 04 Apr 2013 06:20:02 EST news284274470 (Phys.org)—Researchers from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Ocean and Atmospheric Science and Technology Directorate report conclusive evidence that volcanic gases and aerosols from the explosive 2011 eruption of the East Africa Nabro Volcano breached the stratosphere, unassisted by the seasonal Asian monsoonal flow. http://phys.org/news279536199.html Space & Earth Fri, 08 Feb 2013 09:10:02 EST news279536199 The Tibetan Plateau is the youngest and highest plateau on Earth, and its elevation reaches one-third of the height of the troposphere, with profound dynamic and thermal effects on atmospheric circulation and climate. The uplift of the Tibetan Plateau was an important factor of global climate change during the late Cenozoic and strongly influenced the development of the Asian monsoon system. However, there have been heated debates about the history and process of Tibetan Plateau uplift, especially elevations in different geological ages. http://phys.org/news254475456.html Other Sciences Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:38:24 EST news254475456 The climate in Central Asia, currently a semiarid region, has varied over the past 500,000 years. An accurate record of the past climate can help scientists understand current climate and better predict how the climate may change in the future. Previous studies with paleoclimate records, such as lake sediments and ice cores, show changes in moisture in the region, but climate history in the region is debated, as some of those records are not high resolution or not well dated. http://phys.org/news247247497.html Space & Earth Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:30:05 EST news247247497 Scientists have long known that large volcanic explosions can affect the weather by spewing particles that block solar energy and cool the air. Some suspect that extended "volcanic winters" from gigantic blowups helped kill off dinosaurs and Neanderthals. In the summer following Indonesia's 1815 Tambora eruption, frost wrecked crops as far off as New England, and the 1991 blowout of the Philippines' Mount Pinatubo lowered average global temperatures by 0.7 degrees F -- enough to mask the effects of manmade greenhouse gases for a year or so. http://phys.org/news208007153.html Space & Earth Wed, 03 Nov 2010 12:46:13 EST news208007153