Journal profile · Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
SOLA
ISSN 1349-6476 · Meteorological Society of Japan · JAPAN · Irregular
SOLA: CAS Zone 4 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.11; fully open access; APC about USD 1,940; median 77 days to acceptance (36 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 69 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
SOLA is published by Meteorological Society of Japan and is in Zone 4 of Earth Sciences in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Climate variability and models, Meteorological Phenomena and Simulations and Tropical and Extratropical Cyclones Research, together about 53.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Atmospheric Science and Global and Planetary Change. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
SOLA (the Scientific Online Letters on the Atmosphere) is a peer-reviewed, Open Access, online-only journal. It publishes scientific discoveries and advances in understanding in meteorology, climatology, the atmospheric sciences and related interdisciplinary areas. SOLA focuses on presenting new and scientifically rigorous observations, experiments, data analyses, numerical modeling, data assimilation, and technical developments as quickly as possible. Published and supported by the Meteorological Society of Japan, the journal follows strong research and publication ethics principles. Most manuscripts receive a first decision within one month and a decision upon resubmission within a further month. Accepted articles are then quickly published on the journal’s website, where they are easily accessible to our broad audience.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Editor-in-chief Kazuaki KawamotoPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 4%); most named Japan 43, Mainland China 2, United States 2, South Korea 2, Taiwan, China 1 (51 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Climate variability and modelsEnvironmental Science21.5%
- Meteorological Phenomena and SimulationsEarth and Planetary Sciences20.9%
- Tropical and Extratropical Cyclones ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences11%
- Atmospheric aerosols and cloudsEnvironmental Science6.4%
- Atmospheric chemistry and aerosolsEarth and Planetary Sciences5.8%
- Atmospheric Ozone and ClimateEarth and Planetary Sciences4.8%
- Precipitation Measurement and AnalysisEarth and Planetary Sciences4.3%
- Oceanographic and Atmospheric ProcessesEarth and Planetary Sciences3.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Earth Sciences Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Earth Sciences Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Earth Sciences Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
INSPECPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 1.11LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.2Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.9LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.47LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.62LetPub ·
- h-index
- 26LetPub ·
- h-index
- 56OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 435OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.22OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 16.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 99.37%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 57LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 1,923Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,098 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 44 | 44 | 5 |
| 2025 | 69 | 69 | 61 |
| 2024 | 61 | 61 | 147 |
| 2023 | 48 | 48 | 141 |
| 2022 | 48 | 48 | 249 |
| 2021 | 52 | 52 | 346 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
77 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 63 days – 111 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 30 days (36 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 110 days
- Sample
- 36 articles with submission and acceptance dates (119 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Average review time (community reports)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 17 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Unspecified peer reviewDOAJ
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | EUR 1,646 / USD 1,940 / GBP 1,390 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | JPY 100,000 | — | — | |
| LetPub | JPY 100,000 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | EUR 825 / EUR 666.18 | — | — |
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 3,100 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted3, with length limits
- brief reportNote that the variable APC applied for short articles submitted as Brief Report and accepted for publication in SOLA.Length not stated
- researches and reviewsThe word limit for the entire article (Researches and Reviews) should be 18,000 words or less.Length not stated
- reviewfor the entire article (Researches and Reviews) should be 18,000 words or less. The word limit does not include the title page, abmain text ≤ 18,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship principles
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Availability
Data Availability Statement required Model summary
All original research must include a Data Availability Statement. Data Availability Statements should provide information on where data supporting the results reported in the article can be found. Statements should include, where applicable, hyperlinks to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. When it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when in…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
Article processing charge (APC) required Model summary
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in SOLA, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Single-blind peer review
Single-blind peer review Model summary
This journal follows a single-blind reviewing procedure. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Meteorological Society of Japan
- Country or region
- JAPAN
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Irregular
- ISSN
- 1349-6476
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about SOLA
What CAS zone is SOLA in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, SOLA is in Zone 4 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Earth Sciences. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of SOLA?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.11; CiteScore 1.9, h-index 56.
How long does peer review take at SOLA?
Based on the dates recorded on 36 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 77 days (interquartile range 63–111 days); authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of SOLA?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 3,100 words; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Cover letter: Required. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of SOLA based?
Of the 51 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 4%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Japan (43), Mainland China (2) and United States (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index SOLA?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, SOLA is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists INSPEC; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is SOLA open access, and what is the APC?
SOLA is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 1,940.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .