Atmospheric Interaction USM

03/11/2026

Another PhD student graduating, Ehsan Jamshidi. Congratulations!

His work paved the way in combining multi-modal data (climate, agronomy, remote sensing) for the oil palm industry.

21/10/2026

Does more rainfall necessarily mean greater soil erosion? Not always.

Our latest research, published in Environmental Earth Sciences (Springer Nature), explores 120 years of rainfall patterns (1901–2020) in Kerala, India, to understand how rainfall contributes to soil erosion in tropical monsoon environments.

One of our interesting findings is that rainfall erosivity—the ability of rainfall to detach and transport soil—has generally declined across much of the region over the past century, despite substantial fluctuations and localized increasing trends.

The study also reveals that rainfall amount alone does not determine erosion potential. Rainfall characteristics, monsoon variability, and local topography all play important roles.

By identifying four distinct rainfall erosivity zones, our research provides valuable insights for soil conservation, watershed management, and climate-resilient land-use planning.

These findings are particularly relevant to tropical countries such as Malaysia, where intense monsoon rainfall and changing precipitation patterns pose continuing challenges for environmental sustainability.

Understanding not just how much rain falls, but how erosive that rainfall can be, is essential for protecting our landscapes.

Read our open-access article:

Understanding long-term rainfall erosivity variability is essential for assessing soil erosion risk and supporting sustainable land and watershed management in tropical monsoon environments. This study presents a century-scale (1901–2020) assessment of rainfall erosivity and erosivity density acro...

17/10/2026

Another paper on extreme rainfall from our little group. Here is the link to "Extreme rainfall in Kerala, India (1901–2025): Spatiotemporal variability and extreme value analysis": https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1474706526006170

17/10/2026

Our research paper commented by the science news outlet scienmag.com https://scienmag.com/a-century-of-rain-in-kerala-reveals-that-how-it-falls-matters-more-than-how-much/

A 120-year analysis of Kerala's rainfall shows that the erosive power of the state's rain has become progressively decoupled from rainfall totals, meaning annual precipitation alone can no

01/10/2026

We evaluated how well the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model simulates surface solar radiation over Penang Island. We compared the model with measurements from Muka Head and Bayan Lepas, as well as ERA5 and NASA POWER data, for 2022. Although all datasets captured the daily pattern well, WRF tended to overestimate solar radiation, while NASA POWER generally showed the closest agreement with our ground measurements. We also found larger discrepancies at Muka Head, highlighting the challenges of representing local conditions around its forested hills and coastline. These findings can help guide the selection and calibration of solar radiation data for identifying suitable locations for solar installations, estimating electricity generation from photovoltaic systems, and supporting climate and environmental studies. The study emphasizes the importance of checking model estimates against local measurements and correcting their biases before using them for planning and decision-making. Find out more about our research at https://atmosfera.usm.my.
Read the paper: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11600-026-02035-8?utm_source=rct_congratemailt&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nonoa_20260930&utm_content=10.1007%2Fs11600-026-02035-8

24/09/2026

Could Malaysia’s soils face greater erosion pressure even without more annual rainfall?
Our newly published study of 120 years of rainfall in Kerala, India, highlights why rainfall’s distribution through the year matters, not total rainfall. In our model, concentrating the same annual rainfall into fewer, wetter months increases estimated erosivity; distributing it more evenly reduces it.
For Malaysia, if rainfall becomes more seasonally concentrated, its potential to cause soil erosion could increase even where annual totals change little.
Malaysia already experiences distinct regional rainfall seasons, including heavy northeast-monsoon rainfall and inter-monsoon thunderstorms. Conservation planning needs to account for these local differences.
On exposed agricultural slopes, recently cleared land, or construction sites, greater rainfall erosivity could mean more topsoil loss and sediment entering waterways, depending on soil properties, slope, vegetation, and runoff management. Malaysian research in the Cameron Highlands also highlights the importance of ground cover and land management in controlling erosion.
So, protect soil before locally erosive periods, and look beyond annual rainfall totals to rainfall distribution when planning for climate adaptation.

Read the full paper here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00704-026-06587-z?utm_source=rct_congratemailt&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nonoa_20260924&utm_content=10.1007/s00704-026-06587-z

Rainfall-driven soil erosion is a major cause of land degradation in tropical monsoon regions, yet long-term assessments of rainfall erosivity (RE) and its temporal variability remain limited. This study evaluates the spatial and temporal characteristics of rainfall (RF), rainfall erosivity (RE), an...

09/09/2026

Consider submitting to this special issue of Springer's Discover Applied Sciences journal. Message us for more details.

12/08/2026

In the news, for the current situation developing in southern, mid peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak.

KUALA LUMPUR: Emerging hotspots in Kalimantan could signal a rising risk of transboundary haze, but experts say it is too early to attribute the deteriorating air quality solely to the developing El Nino phenomenon.

10/08/2026

We show how monsoon intensity, soil erodibility, hydrological connectivity, and “geomorphic memory” combine to shape erosion risk with August emerging as the critical window for gully initiation. A gully is a deep, narrow channel that is cut into the soil by flowing rain.
Read it at:

Gully erosion is an important mechanism of landscape change in tropical mountain environments, yet the interactions among hydro-climatic forcing, soil erodibili...

31/07/2026

Call for Papers | Springer Nature – Discover Applied Sciences

Our Springer Nature Collection, “Earth and Environmental Science: AI and Numerical Modeling for Greenhouse Gas Dynamics and Climate Applications,” is now open for submissions.

As climate change research increasingly relies on the integration of artificial intelligence, numerical modeling, remote sensing, and Earth system science, this Collection aims to showcase innovative research that advances our understanding of greenhouse gas dynamics and supports evidence-based climate action.

We welcome submissions on topics including:
• AI/ML for CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O prediction
• Numerical weather and climate models
• Earth system modeling
• Carbon budgeting and carbon flux estimation
• Remote sensing and atmospheric inversion models
• AI-enhanced emission inventories
• Hybrid AI–physics models
• Uncertainty analysis in greenhouse gas simulations

The Collection is hosted by Discover Applied Sciences, a Scopus-indexed and Web of Science (ESCI)-indexed open-access journal with a 2025 Journal Impact Factor of 3.8.

Researchers in atmospheric science, environmental engineering, geospatial science, remote sensing, Earth system science, computer science, climate modeling, and related disciplines are warmly invited to contribute.

🗓 Submission deadline: 30 April 2027

🔗 More information and submission details:
https://link.springer.com/collections/hggeheafej

I look forward to receiving your contributions and working with authors to build a Collection that highlights cutting-edge research at the intersection of AI, numerical modeling, and climate science, while contributing to UN Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action.

This Collection is intended to provide a comprehensive platform for publishing high-quality original research, review articles, and methodological ...