Prof. Mengqian Lu's Groundbreaking Atmospheric Rivers Study Featured by the American Geophysical Union and Newsweek

The research article "Future Changes in Global Atmospheric Rivers Projected by CMIP6 Models," authored by Associate Professor Mengqian Lu and her research team from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at HKUST, has earned a prestigious Research Spotlight in Eos. It also garnered significant media attention, prompting Newsweek to conduct an interview with Professor Lu due to the escalating concerns over the impacts of atmospheric rivers in the United States. The 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. The research also suggests that increased surface temperatures will elevate moisture levels in the atmosphere, which is likely to lead to a greater occurrence of atmospheric rivers and the associated severe weather events. The authors project an 84 percent rise in the frequency of atmospheric rivers during the December-February period, and a 113 percent jump in the June-August interval, under scenarios of high fossil fuel consumption.

Eos is an award-winning science news magazine published by the American Geophysical Union (AGU), which is a global community supporting more than half a million advocates and professionals in the Earth and space sciences. AGU aims to advance discovery and solution science that accelerates knowledge and creates solutions that are ethical, unbiased, and respectful of communities and their values. Newsweek, on the other hand, is a global media organization that has earned audience time and trust for more than 90 years. Headquartered in New York City, Newsweek reaches 100 million people each month through a dozen print and digital platforms.

Congratulations to Prof. Mengqian Lu and her team for the honor of being featured in Eos's Research Spotlight and for Prof. Lu's notable interview with Newsweek. Their work on atmospheric rivers is shaping our understanding of climate change impacts. We anticipate further valuable insights from their continued research.