These maps show a few of the most heavily researched atmospheric patterns that appear as regional modes or oscillations. Many other similar patterns are defined at our glossary, where you’ll also find more detail on each of the patterns shown here.

In December 2010, media dutifully reported the heavy snow that battered the northeast U.S. and the United Kingdom’s coldest December in at least 100 years. Meanwhile, the sparsely populated Canadian Arctic basked in near-unprecedented mildness.

Geoengineering our climate system to ward off the effects of global warming may end up cooling the tropics to below present-day levels.

The magnitude of climate change millions of years ago suggests that future temperatures may increase far more than projected.