Ice core nitrogen isotopes archive dramatic changes in West Antarctic Ice Sheet thinning Amy C. F. King, Thomas K. Bauska, Amaëlle Landais, Carlos Martín, and Eric W. Wolff Clim. Past, 22, 1291–1304, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-1291-2026, 2026 We show how measurements of nitrogen isotopes in Antarctic ice core records can be used to show dramatic thinning of an ice sheet during ice mass changes in the Holocene. Combining such measurements with proxies for ice sheet elevation could be a powerful tool for constraining the history of ice dynamics at sites which are sensitive to rapid changes, and could contribute to constraining ice sheet models.

Last Glacial Maximum extent and subsequent retreat of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet from the Mac. Robertson Shelf Janina Güntzel, Juliane Müller, Ralf Tiedemann, Gesine Mollenhauer, Lester Lembke-Jene, Estella Weigelt, Lasse Schopen, Niklas Wesch, Laura Kattein, Andrew N. Mackintosh, and Johann P. Klages The Cryosphere, 20, 3739–3758, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-3739-2026, 2026 Combined multi-proxy sediment core analyses and bathymetry data reveal the deglaciation along the Mac. Robertson Shelf, a yet insufficiently studied sector of the East Antarctic margin. Grounding line extent towards the continental shelf break prior to ~12.7 cal. ka BP and subsequent episodic mid-shelf retreat until the early Holocene prevented Dense Shelf Water formation in its current form, hence suggesting a different formation mechanism under such full glacial conditions.

Climate controls on snowfall at coastal West Antarctic ice rises – potential ice core sites Julia R. Andreasen and Peter D. Neff The Cryosphere, 20, 3893–3911, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-3893-2026, 2026 Coastal ice domes in West Antarctica preserve snowfall records that reflect past climate conditions. Using weather reanalysis from 1979 to 2022, this study identifies which domes best capture different climate drivers affecting the region. Western sites respond mainly to hemisphere-wide wind shifts, while eastern sites reflect regional storm patterns. These results guide where future ice cores should be drilled to reconstruct past atmospheric and oceanic changes in this vulnerable region.

Review article: The Foundation-Patuxent-Academy ice stream system, Antarctica Neil Ross, Rebecca J. Sanderson, Bernd Kulessa, Martin Siegert, Guy J. G. Paxman, Keir A. Nichols, Matthew R. Siegfried, Stewart S. R. Jamieson, Michael J. Bentley, Tom A. Jordan, Christine L. Batchelor, David Small, Olaf Eisen, Kate Winter, Robert G. Bingham, S. Louise Callard, Rachel Carr, Christine F. Dow, Helen A. Fricker, Emily Hill, Benjamin H. Hills, Coen Hofstede, Hafeez Jeofry, Felipe Napoleoni, and Wilson Sauthoff The Cryosphere, 20, 3705–3737, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-3705-2026, 2026 We review research about a group of fast-flowing Antarctic ice streams, the Foundation-Patuxent-Academy System. Previously, we knew little about how these ice streams flow, how they interact with each other and the ocean, what their geological history was, and how they might evolve in a warming world. By reviewing existing research, we have identified the future research needed to determine how these ice streams function, and how they might contribute to future global sea level rise.

Inferring subglacial topography using physics informed machine learning constrained by two conservation laws Mansa Krishna, Gong Cheng, and Mathieu Morlighem The Cryosphere, 20, 3533–3558, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-3533-2026, 2026 Estimates of the Greenland Ice Sheet’s contribution to sea level rise are affected by uncertainties in the bed topography. Traditional, physics-based methods for inferring the bed elevation are limited to fast-flowing areas of the ice sheet. We use machine learning models informed with two physical laws to infer the bed elevation for different regions in Greenland, showing that this method can be used to infer the bed elevation in slower-moving, sparsely surveyed regions of the ice sheet.

Cryptotephra in the East Antarctic Mount Brown South ice core Margaret M. Harlan, Jodi Fox, Helle Astrid Kjær, Tessa R. Vance, Anders Svensson, and Eliza Cook Clim. Past, 22, 1057–1083, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-1057-2026, 2026 The ~300 m Mount Brown South ice core (MBS) was drilled in coastal East Antarctica in 2017-2018. Here, we combine atmospheric modeling, ice core chemistry, and eruption records to sample a ~20 m MBS companion core for volcanic ash. We identified two ash layers, geochemically correlated with eruptions of Mt. Erebus (1985) and Cerro Hudson (1991). This study proves long-range transport of ash to East Antarctica, validating MBS as an untapped record of high latitude Southern Hemisphere volcanism.

Enhanced prediction skill of Antarctic sea ice through sea ice thickness assimilation Nicholas Williams, Yiguo Wang, and François Counillon The Cryosphere, 20, 3795–3815, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-3795-2026, 2026 This study investigates whether assimilating sea ice thickness observations into a global climate model can improve reanalysis and seasonal prediction skill of the Antarctic sea ice. We found that assimilation of sea ice thickness improves the representation of sea ice variability, especially in western Antarctica. We also show that initialisation of predictions with sea ice thickness data assimilation can improve forecasts of sea ice concentration, extent and thickness in summer and autumn.

Comparing calving laws at Greenland's three largest ice shelves Jamie Barnett, Felicity A. Holmes, Sarah L. Greenwood, Mathieu Morlighem, Nina Kirchner, and Martin Jakobsson The Cryosphere, 20, 3599–3617, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-3599-2026, 2026 Computer models used to predict future change of the Greenland Ice Sheet are uncertain, especially in how they represent iceberg calving. We compare several calving approaches by testing model results against satellite observations of changes at three unique floating ice shelves in Greenland. We then extend the simulations to the year 2300 to explore future ice loss, finding that warming of the atmosphere or ocean is more important than the choice of calving method.

Glacial-interglacial shifts in dominant climate forcing over the last 33 ka in the northern South China Sea Xueqin Zhao, Shengjie Ye, Jiahui Yao, Michael E. Meadows, Chengyu Weng, Yasong Wang, Mingxing Zhang, and Yunping Xu Clim. Past, 22, 1085–1104, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-1085-2026, 2026 What can the history of the South China Sea teach us about the great seasonal rains in East Asia? By studying a sediment core, we discovered how the region's climate transformed after the last ice age. The pivotal change was not started on land, but in the tropical ocean. Its early warming altered weather patterns, leading to forest expansion and fewer wildfires on land. This finding reveals that a warming tropical ocean can be a powerful trigger for major global climate shifts.

A multimillennial Alpine ice core chronology synchronized with an accurately dated Arctic Pb record Paolo Gabrielli, Theo M. Jenk, Michele Bertó, Giuliano Dreossi, Daniela Festi, Werner Kofler, Mai Winstrup, Klaus Oeggl, Margit Schwikowski, Barbara Stenni, and Carlo Barbante Clim. Past, 22, 1037–1055, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-1037-2026, 2026 A low latitude-high altitude Alpine ice core record was obtained in 2011 from the glacier Alto dell’Ortles (Eastern Alps, Italy) and provided evidence of one of the oldest Alpine ice core records spanning the last ~7000 years, back to the last Northern Hemisphere Climatic Optimum. Here we provide a new Alto dell’Ortles chronology of improved accuracy that will allow to constrain Holocene climatic and environmental histories emerging from this high-altitude glacial archive of Central Europe.

Detection and attribution of the role of anthropogenic climate change in industrial-era retreat of Pine Island Glacier Alexander T. Bradley, David T. Bett, C. Rosie Williams, Robert J. Arthern, Paul R. Holland, James Byrne, Tamsin L. Edwards, and Mira Adhikari The Cryosphere, 20, 3443–3465, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-3443-2026, 2026 At least since we began measuring in detail, the West Antarctic Ice Sheet has lost a lot of ice, but we don't know precisely how important climate change is in this. Here, we put a number on the role of climate change in retreat of a glacier in this ice sheet, for the first time. We show that climate change made the shrinking of this glacier much worse. Our work also suggests that what happened on very long timescales (the last 10,000 years) might also matter for retreat of the ice sheets today.

Air mass origin and local impacts on Antarctic snow isotopic composition: an observation and modelling study Agnese Petteni, Mathieu Casado, Christophe Leroy-Dos Santos, Amaelle Landais, Niels Dutrievoz, Cécile Agosta, Pete D. Akers, Joel Savarino, Andrea Spolaor, Massimo Frezzotti, and Barbara Stenni The Cryosphere, 20, 3581–3598, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-3581-2026, 2026 We investigated the isotopic composition of surface snow in a previously unexplored region of East Antarctica to understand how differences in air mass origin influence its variability. By comparing observations with model data, we validated the model and quantified the impact of post-depositional processes at the snow–atmosphere interface. Our results offer valuable insights for reconstructing past temperatures from ice cores.

Climate field reconstructions for the North Atlantic region of annual and seasonal resolution spanning CE 1241–1970 Jesper Sjolte and Qin Tao Clim. Past, 22, 915–933, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-915-2026, 2026 We have reconstructed past changes in North Atlantic climate by combining climate model output with tree-ring and ice core data. Our new data includes sea level pressure, temperature and precipitation on annual and seasonal time scales. The reconstruction captures changes in observed temperature over several hundred years across Greenland and Europe. This data can be used to study variations in climate and impacts of greenhouse gases, volcanic eruptions and variations in solar activity.

Evidence and interpretation of non-linear recession behaviour in a periglacial cliff at Port Foster, Deception Island (South Shetlands, Antarctica) Carlos Paredes, Inés Santalices, Celia Sanchíz, and Miguel Angel Ropero The Cryosphere, 20, 3847–3874, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-3847-2026, 2026 This study analyses multidecadal coastal bluff erosion at Deception Island, Antarctica, using historical aerial and satellite imagery (1956–2023). A non-linear shoreline change approach reveals heterogeneous and accelerating recession patterns. Logistic sigmoidal models outperform traditional linear methods, offering improved insights into periglacial coastal dynamics under climate change.

Compounding sub-seasonal variations in Greenland outlet glacier dynamics revealed by high-resolution observations Enze Zhang, Ginny Catania, Ben Smith, Denis Felikson, Beata Csatho, and Daniel T. Trugman The Cryosphere, 20, 3875–3891, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-3875-2026, 2026 Understanding seasonal changes in Greenland glaciers is vital for studying long-term trends. We use a simple model and high-resolution observation to reveal how multiple processes influence seasonal glacier velocity either alternately or simultaneously each year. Additional tests suggest a steepening glacier surface increases sensitivity of the surface velocity to terminus changes. Our approach can be applied to other glaciers decompose seasonal changes of glacier velocity.

Newly recovered series of meteorological measurements in SW Greenland (Nuuk) in the period 1806–1813 Rajmund Przybylak, Andrzej Araźny, Przemysław Wyszyński, Garima Singh, and Konrad Chmist Clim. Past, 22, 957–974, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-957-2026, 2026 This study presents and analyses a newly discovered unique series of meteorological measurements from Greenland, covering the period 1806–1813. This record, the longest instrumental dataset from the Arctic before 1840, provides valuable information for improving knowledge about the climate of that period. The analysis shows that it was one of the coldest intervals in the past two millennia. Intense volcanic activity and low solar activity are proposed as the main reasons for this cold period.

Northern Greenland transect stacked ice cores as a proxy for winter extreme events in Europe Alessandro Gagliardi, Norel Rimbu, Gerrit Lohmann, and Monica Ionita Clim. Past, 22, 935–955, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-935-2026, 2026 This study shows that stable oxygen isotope ratios from Greenland ice cores can help identify extreme winter events in Europe. In years with a lack of the heavier oxygen isotope, we found changes in the atmospheric circulation over Europe. These changes bring warmer, wetter conditions to the Norwegian coast and colder, drier conditions to southern Europe. The pattern appears in both recent and past periods, staying stable over the last 400 years.

Non-linear climatic response to the weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation during glacial times Yanxuan Du, Josephine R. Brown, Laurie Menviel, Himadri Saini, Russell N. Drysdale, David K. Hutchinson, and Calla N. Gould-Whaley Clim. Past, 22, 1105–1124, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-1105-2026, 2026 This study examines the climate response to different magnitudes of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) weakening under glacial conditions using the Australian Earth System Model. A potential threshold is identified between linear AMOC slowdown and nonlinear shutdown, driven by a critical change in ocean heat loss that induces a nonlinear atmospheric response governed by energetic constraints.

Unravelling the tree cover dynamics over the last 20 000 years on the Northern Hemisphere Anne Dallmeyer, Nils Weitzel, Laura Schild, Ulrike Herzschuh, Thomas Kleinen, and Martin Claussen Clim. Past, 22, 1125–1157, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-1125-2026, 2026 We compare pollen-based reconstructions of Northern Hemisphere tree cover over the last 20 000 years with simulations from the Max-Planck-Institute Earth System Model (MPI-ESM). The model captures broad forest trends but misses key regional patterns and the mid-Holocene forest peak. Testing climate drivers reveals mismatches in how temperature, water, and CO2 control forests, pointing to structural limits and the need for improved vegetation processes in models.

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10743-w A database of daily dust metals in Europe is established and a machine learning model shows that transported dust intrusion events over the past decade are linked to changes in atmospheric circulation, while an ice core shows that the increase in dust since pre-industrial times is governed by increasing aridity in North Africa..

arXiv:2605.06944v3 Announce Type: replace Abstract: We present the AI weather and climate model intercomparison project (AIMIP), phase 1. Drawing from the rich tradition of intercomparisons in climate model development, we specify a common experiment, output data format, and training constraints (namely, training against historical reanalysis data) for AIMIP Phase 1 models. We aim to identify differences in modeling frameworks and AI architectural choices that influence model behavior, and build trust in AI weather and climate models through open data and evaluation. AIMIP Phase 1 models must simulate the atmosphere given specified historical sea surface temperatures over 1979-2024. We evaluate the models' performance using five major evaluation criteria: biases, trends, response to El Ni\~{n}o-related sea surface temperature anomalies, temporal variability, and out-of-sample generalization tests. We find that the AI models are able to simulate the historical climate and response to forcing as well as a conventional physically-based model, but some AI models underestimate historical warming trends, and their predictions diverge in the out-of-sample generalization tests. We describe the AIMIP Phase 1 dataset that is publicly available for additional evaluations.

The Marine Isotopic Stage 7: a relic of the “41 ka world”? Perspectives from a global-scale sea-surface temperature synthesis Etienne Legrain, Nathan Stevenard, Emilie Capron, Frédéric Parrenin, and Natalia Vazquez Riveiros Clim. Past, 22, 1223–1240, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-1223-2026, 2026 To better understand climate drivers during a warm period ~200,000 years ago, we reconstructed global surface temperature using 132 marine records placed on a common timeline. We found strong hemispheric differences and showed that the warmest phase occurred despite lower CO2 levels. In addition, we suggest that extreme orbital forcing temporarily shifted the climate into the older 41,000-year rhythm, resulting in a hybrid warm period shaped by both 100,000-year and 41,000-year climate dynamics.

Nature, Published online: 10 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02091-6 General purpose AI tools for science, such as Claude Science, promise to accelerate research. But which is right for you?

Wintertime evolution of landfast ice stability in Alaska from InSAR Andrew Einhorn and Andrew Mahoney The Cryosphere, 20, 3683–3704, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-3683-2026, 2026 Landfast ice along the Alaskan Arctic coast is vital for winter travel, yet current remote sensing only maps its extent, not safety. Using InSAR, we distinguish landfast from pack ice and classify stability via a new metric, apparent strain. We quantitatively defined three classes: bottomfast, stabilized, and nonstabilized which correspond to the stability of the landfast ice. Apparent strain reveals an increase in stability throughout the winter months.

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10762-7 A rich variety of both integer and fractional high-Chern insulators are observed in a moiré system composed of Bernal bilayer graphene and rhombohedral tetralayer graphene.