Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

What is Weather?

What is Weather?

What is Climate?

What is Climate?

Climate refers to the prevailing weather conditions in a specific area over an extended period. As the saying goes, “Climate is what you expect. Weather is what you get.” Climate is influenced by geographic factors, such as latitude, terrain, and proximity to bodies of water.

Global Climate Change

Global Climate Change

Throughout its ~4.5 billion year history, the Earth has experienced periods of warming and cooling. However, the current drastic increase in global temperatures is well outside of the Earth’s cyclic norms, and evidence for human-caused global climate change is compelling. Paleoclimatology, the study of ancient climate conditions, provides ample evidence for human-caused global climate change by comparing recent conditions with those in the past.

Magnetostatic Boundary Conditions

Magnetostatic Boundary Conditions

An electric field suffers a discontinuity at a surface charge. Similarly, a magnetic field is discontinuous at a surface current. The perpendicular component of a magnetic field is continuous across the interface of two magnetic mediums. In contrast, its parallel component, perpendicular to the current, is discontinuous by the amount equal to the product of the vacuum permeability and the surface current. Like the scalar potential in electrostatics, the vector potential is also continuous...

Precipitation Processes

Precipitation Processes

The experimental conditions in a gravimetric analysis should be optimized to maximize the particle size and purity of the obtained precipitate. Ideally, the concentration of the precipitating reagent should be low with effective stirring to maintain low relative supersaturation for the growth of large crystals. In homogeneous precipitation, the precipitant is slowly generated by a chemical reaction in the solution to avoid local reagent excesses. For example, urea decomposes gradually to...

Variation of Atmospheric Pressure

Variation of Atmospheric Pressure

Change in atmospheric pressure with height is particularly interesting. The decrease in atmospheric pressure with increasing altitude is due to the decreasing gravitational force per unit area as we move away from the surface of the earth.
Assuming the air temperature is constant at a given altitude and that the ideal gas law of thermodynamics describes the atmosphere to a good approximation, one can find the variation of atmospheric pressure with height.
Let p(y) be the atmospheric pressure at...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Evaluation of enamel dental restoration interface by optical coherence tomography.

Journal of biomedical optics·2006

Same author

Rho GTPases and the control of cell behaviour.

Biochemical Society transactions·2005

Same author

Increasing cataract surgery to meet Vision 2020 targets; experience from two rural programmes in east Africa.

The British journal of ophthalmology·2005

Same author

Cost-effectiveness of alternative strategies for the initial medical management of non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome: systematic review and decision-analytical modelling.

Health technology assessment (Winchester, England)·2005

Same author

Anxiety in medical students: is preparation for full-time clinical attachments more dependent upon differences in maturity or on educational programmes for undergraduate and graduate entry students?

Medical education·2004

Same author

IgA antibodies of coeliac disease patients recognise a dominant T cell epitope of A-gliadin.

Gut·2004

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Exploring the Effects of Atmospheric Forcings on Evaporation: Experimental Integration of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer and Shallow Subsurface

Exploring the Effects of Atmospheric Forcings on Evaporation: Experimental Integration of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer and Shallow Subsurface

Published on: June 8, 2015

An abrupt climate event in a coupled ocean-atmosphere simulation without external forcing.

A Hall¹, R J Stouffer

¹Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Palisades, New York 10964, USA. alexhall@ldeo.columbia.edu

|February 24, 2001

Summary

Internal atmospheric variability can trigger abrupt climate shifts. A 15,000-year global circulation simulation revealed spontaneous cooling events in the North Atlantic, driven by winds, not freshwater forcing.

More Related Videos

Simulating Impacts of Ice Storms on Forest Ecosystems

Simulating Impacts of Ice Storms on Forest Ecosystems

Published on: June 30, 2020

Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions

Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions

Published on: March 31, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Exploring the Effects of Atmospheric Forcings on Evaporation: Experimental Integration of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer and Shallow Subsurface

Exploring the Effects of Atmospheric Forcings on Evaporation: Experimental Integration of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer and Shallow Subsurface

Published on: June 8, 2015

Simulating Impacts of Ice Storms on Forest Ecosystems

Simulating Impacts of Ice Storms on Forest Ecosystems

Published on: June 30, 2020

Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions

Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions

Published on: March 31, 2023

Area of Science:

Climate Science
Paleoclimatology
Oceanography

Background:

North Atlantic climate reconstructions show frequent abrupt fluctuations during glacial and Holocene periods.
Previous climate models required freshwater forcing to simulate such events.
The underlying drivers of these rapid climate changes remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the potential for internal atmospheric variability to drive abrupt climate fluctuations in the North Atlantic.
To simulate a drastic cooling event without external forcing.

Main Methods:

Conducted a 15,000-year global circulation simulation using present-day climate conditions.
Analyzed the simulation output for spontaneous climate events and their drivers.

Main Results:

A spontaneous, severe cooling event occurred near southern Greenland, lasting 30-40 years with temperatures 6-10 standard deviations below the mean.
The event was triggered by persistent northwesterly winds transporting cold, fresh water into the North Atlantic.
Oceanic convection shut down, localizing cooling in the upper ocean layer.

Conclusions:

Internal atmospheric variability alone can generate extreme climate disruptions in the North Atlantic.
The simulation results align with observed records of rapid cooling events.
This suggests a potential mechanism for past abrupt climate changes without external triggers.