Tellus relaunches with first publications spanning atmospheric processes, ocean change, and climate research

First publications highlight interconnected Earth system processes

The first articles published under the re-launched Tellus illustrate both the breadth of the journal and the importance of studying Earth system processes across scales and disciplines.

One paper presents an overview of the ORCESTRA field campaign, a large international effort combining aircraft, satellite, and ocean-based observations with advanced modelling. The campaign is designed to improve understanding of tropical convection—one of the most complex and influential processes in the climate system, with far-reaching impacts on weather and climate patterns.

Complementing this atmospheric perspective, a second study focuses on long-term changes in the ocean. The authors show that global ocean stratification has increased steadily in recent decades—by about 1 percent per decade between 1992 and 2017. This increasing layering of the ocean is primarily driven by warming in the upper ocean and has important implications for how heat, carbon, and nutrients are exchanged between surface and deep waters.

Together, these studies highlight how both atmospheric dynamics and ocean structure play key roles in shaping the Earth system, and how changes in these processes are linked to ongoing climate change.

Addressing complex and emerging climate questions

In addition to observational and process-based research, the first publications also engage with emerging and complex questions in climate science.

One study explores a potential form of solar radiation modification (SRM), a type of geoengineering. As interest in such approaches continues to grow, the Tellus editorial team emphasizes the importance of examining them through careful and critical scientific inquiry, given their scientific and societal implications

Geoengineering—especially solar radiation modification—is often perceived as controversial. While the Tellus editorial team is firmly convinced that we should focus on reducing fossil fuel emissions, studies such as Kulmala et al. are useful to explore the underlying mechanisms and consequences of more drastic and risky alternatives,” says Stefano Manzoni, Editor-in-Chief of the relaunched Tellus journal.

The study by Kulmala et al. investigates an alternative approach to stratospheric aerosol injection using organic compounds. Based on conceptual and model-based analysis, the work contributes to understanding the mechanisms, risks, and potential impacts of such approaches.

This perspective reflects a broader aim of the journal: to provide a platform for research that examines both established and emerging climate processes, including those that are complex or contested.

A platform for integrated and responsible Earth system science

Taken together, the first publications reflect the ambition of Tellus to serve as a platform for integrated Earth system science. By bringing together large-scale observational campaigns, analyses of long-term environmental change, and research on emerging climate questions, the journal aims to support a deeper and more connected understanding of the Earth system.

As an independent, not-for-profit journal managed by active researchers, Tellus also seeks to strengthen scientific integrity, promote open science, and support meaningful peer review within the research community.

With its relaunch, Tellus aims to contribute to how scientific knowledge about the Earth system is developed, evaluated, and shared—at a time when such understanding is more important than ever.