Evaporation - Meteo @ WUR

Details of the surface wind matter in tropical convection

Tropical clouds play an important role in the energy balance of the earth. Clouds reflect solar radiation into space, but also absorb heat that is emitted from the surface of the earth. Clouds therefore play an important role in setting the global atmospheric temperature. In turn, the atmospheric temperature determines

Hydrology

Mississippi’s moisture sources in present and future climate

In our new study (led by PhD student Imme Benedict), we have assessed the water budget of the Mississippi River Basin under present and future climate conditions. Our main aim was to find out where the precipitation originates from, and in particular whether this comes from land or ocean. To

Weather

Mega-heatwave amplification due to upstream drought

In a new publication led by Dominik Schumacher of Ghent University (DRY-2-DRY project funded by ERC), we have quantified the impact of upstream drought on mega-heatwaves. With the help of satellite observations and modelling, we quantified the degree to which air masses warm up in drought locations and contribute to

Evaporation

Better hydrological cycle with high-resolution global models?

To study the global hydrological cycle and its response to a changing climate, we rely on global climate models (GCMs) and global hydrological models (GHMs). In a new paper in HESS, we have evaluated the benefits of increasing the resolution of a GCM and a GHM in simulating the hydrological

Clouds

Three new papers on land-atmosphere interactions

We have published three new papers on land-atmosphere interactions, and the soil moisture-precipitation feedback. The first paper Land-Atmosphere Interactions: The LoCo Perspective is published in BAMS, the American Meteorological Society's flagship journal. The paper presents an overview of the research that has been done under the umbrella of the GEWEX

Publication

Clouds can enhance photosynthesis and evapotranspiration

Clouds reflect incoming solar radiation back into space, but also increase the amount of diffuse radiation that reaches the land surface. Our new study (lead author Xabier Pedruzo-Bagazgoitia) shows that thin clouds are beneficial for CO2 assimilation and evapotranspiration, due to the influence of diffuse radiation. This analysis is based

Publication

More clouds over Western European forests

Our new article in Nature Communications (lead author Ryan Teuling) presents observational proof of enhanced cloud formation over Western European forests. The related press release of Wageningen University can be found here (in Dutch). The sketch below, which is explained in detail in the article, shows the complexity of cloud