The research paper on “Future Changes in Global Atmospheric Rivers Projected by CMIP6 Models” authored by Prof. LU Mengqian, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and her team has been featured as a Research Spotlight by Eos, a science news magazine published by the American Geophysical Union (AGU), with the headline “The Escalating Impact of Global Warming on Atmospheric Rivers”. AGU is an international non-profit, scientific organization representing nearly 60,000 members in 137 countries.

The study also garnered significant media attention, prompting international news magazine Newsweek and global broadcaster BBC to conduct interviews with her due to the escalating concerns over the impacts of atmospheric rivers in the United States. The articles were published with the headlines “Atmospheric Rivers Set To Increase in US” and “Inside the giant ‘sky rivers’ swelling with climate change”.

Prof. Lu’s paper emphasizes that climate change is expected to substantially increase the frequency of atmospheric rivers, thereby amplifying the risk of severe weather events across various global regions. In summary, the study indicates that atmospheric rivers are projected to shift towards higher latitudes, resulting in escalated risks of extreme weather and flooding.

Related link:

• Department news (March 1, 2024): Prof. Mengqian LU’s Groundbreaking Atmospheric Rivers Study Featured by the American Geophysical Union and Newsweek