Researchers are finding new ways to work with aspects of climate change that are surprisingly linear, an approach that could help save time and money in future climate research while providing a richer range of information to help guide policy.

What if all the energy needed by society existed just a mile or two above our heads? NCAR, the University of Delaware, and the energy firm Garrad Hassan have begun examining where the strongest winds are and how much electricity they may be able to generate.

A field project this June and July will study gravity waves, towering atmospheric features little-known to the public. Novel instruments to be deployed for the international DEEPWAVE project, based in New Zealand, will provide an unprecedented view of gravity waves, a major shaper of atmospheric variability at multiple heights.

Kathryn Schmoll, UCAR vice president for finance and administration, will advise the agency on challenges and solutions as it embarks on a new era of exploration.

El Niño exerts its global impact through two different atmospheric pathways, one located miles above the other—a finding that may help bolster regional climate prediction.