Getting hit with one hurricane is bad enough, but new research from Princeton University’s engineering school shows that back-to-back versions may become common for many areas in coming decades.
Tag: Earth Sciences
Researchers find several oceanic bottom circulation collapses in the past 4.7 million years
Antarctic bottom water (AABW) covers more than two-thirds of the global ocean bottom, and its formation has recently decreased. However, its long-term variability has not been well understood.
Scientists use satellite images to study the degradation of rangelands in Tanzania
East Africa’s iconic rangelands – under threat from climate change and human activity – have the potential to recover from repeated environmental shocks and degradation, a new study has concluded.
Complex subsurface of Mars imaged by Chinese rover Zhurong
Ground-penetrating radar from China’s Martian rover Zhurong reveals shallow impact craters and other geologic structures in the top five meters of the red planet’s surface.
Understanding Japan’s earthquakes: New insight into the relationship between slow slip events and the build-up and release of tectonic strain
The Japanese archipelago is actively undergoing seismic shifts due to interactions between the oceanic plate and the continental plate.
Meteorites reveal likely origin of Earth’s volatile chemicals
By analysing meteorites, Imperial researchers have uncovered the likely far-flung origin of Earth’s volatile chemicals, some of which form the building blocks of life.
Study sheds light on how human activities shape global forest structureStudy sheds light on how human activities shape global forest structure
Climate change and human activities strongly influence forests, but researchers have not fully understood the pervasiveness of these stressors and how they will shape future forest structure.
Nature conservation needs to incorporate the human approach
An international study led by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) stresses the need to apply a biocultural approach in nature conservation programs.
South Asian Black carbon aerosols accelerate loss of glacial mass over the Tibetan plateau
Black carbon aerosols are produced by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass, and are characterized by strong light absorption.
Fertilizing the Ocean to Store Carbon Dioxide
Iron-based fertilizer may stimulate plankton to pull carbon dioxide from the ocean, driving a carbon-negative process.
Linking mass extinctions to the expansion and radiation of land plants
The Devonian Period, 419 to 358 million years ago, was one of the most turbulent times in Earth’s past and was marked by at least six significant marine extinctions, including one of the five largest mass extinctions ever to have occurred.
Using monsoons of the past to predict climate conditions of the future
The North American southwest has been suffering through weather extremes in recent years ranging from searing heatwaves and scorching wildfires to monsoon rainfalls that cause flash floods and mudslides.
Scientists identify the highest-ever recorded volcanic plume
Using images captured by satellites, researchers in the University of Oxford’s Department of Physics and RAL Space have confirmed that the January 2022 eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano produced the highest-ever recorded plume.
Protected areas buffer climate change for biodiversity
Climate change is emerging as a top threat to biodiversity according to the latest Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.
Scientists bring back Earth’s memory with mountaintop ice
Humans are fascinated by our planet’s distant past.
New Scottish fossil sheds light on the origins of lizards
A fossil discovery from Scotland has provided new information on the early evolution of lizards, during the time of the dinosaurs.
Global warming at least doubled the probability of extreme ocean warming around Japan
In the past decade, the marginal seas of Japan frequently experienced extremely high sea surface temperatures (SSTs).
How Pitt biologists are making fieldwork more equitable
In a new publication, a team of biologists share their process for crafting a manual for field research that prioritizes safety for researchers from marginalized groups.
Magma and ice
Let’s pretend it’s the Late Cretaceous, roughly 66 to 100 million years ago.
Researchers find crucial evidence to explain anomalously fast convergence between India and Asia in Mesozoic
Closure of the Neo-Tethys Ocean and the subsequent formation of the Tibetan Plateau is one of the most significant tectonic events on Earth.
Ancient source of oxygen for life hidden deep in the Earth’s crust
Scientists at Newcastle University have uncovered a source of oxygen that may have influenced the evolution of life before the advent of photosynthesis.
Study reveals evidence of historic climate change leading to conflict in Yucatan, Mexico
Scientists have discovered that a lengthy drought led to the collapse and abandonment of the prehistoric Mexican city of Mayapan, demonstrating evidence of a connection between climate change and civil unrest among the ancient Maya.
The bigger the temperature change, the larger the extinction event, reveals researcher
A professor emeritus at Tohoku University has unearthed evidence pointing to a strong relationship between the magnitude of mass extinctions and global temperature changes in geologic times.
Ancient South American dust helps reveal new clues about the future of the Earth’s climate, researchers say
Dust that was deposited at the foot of the Andes Mountains in Argentina over the last 1.15 million years helps explain how wind patterns have shifted and could offer clues of what is to come as the Earth’s climate changes, according to new research by a team from South Carolina and Arizona.
The Possibility of Carbon Emissions Peak in China by 2030 Depends on the GDP Growth Rate
This research is done by Professor Weidong Liu, Associate Professors Zhipeng Tang and Mengyao Han, and Dr. Wanbei Jiang from the Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
China’s terrestrial carbon sequestration in 2060 could offset 13–18% of energy-related peak CO2 emissions
President Xi of China announced in September 2020 that China will “aim to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060”.
Volcanoes at fault if the Earth slips
The 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes shocked inhabitants of the western island of Kyushu, causing hundreds of casualties and serious damage to vital infrastructure.
Lesser known ozone layer’s outsized role in planet warming
New research has identified a lesser-known form of ozone playing a big role in heating the Southern Ocean — one of Earth’s main cooling systems.
Rapid glacial advance reconstructed during the time of Norse occupation in Greenland
The Greenland Ice Sheet is the second largest ice body in the world, and it has the potential to contribute significantly to global sea-level rise in a warming global climate.
Volcanism drove rapid ocean deoxygenation during the time of the dinosaurs
Ocean deoxygenation during the Mesozoic Era was much more rapid than previous thought, with CO2 induced environmental warming creating ocean ‘dead zones’ over timescales of only tens of thousands of years.
Fungus That Tastes Just Right
PNNL researchers are forming a clearer picture of how plant matter is transformed in the microbial gardens created by leaf-cutter ants
Muddied waters: sinking organics alter seafloor records
The remains of microscopic plankton blooms in near-shore ocean environments slowly sink to the seafloor, setting off processes that forever alter an important record of Earth’s history, according to research from geoscientists, including David Fike at Washington University in St. Louis.Fike is co-author of a new study published in Nature Communications.
Decisions, Decisions: Climate Change and Water
PNNL’s Framework for Assessment of Complex Environmental Tradeoffs (FACET) is designed to navigate and rigorously evaluate competing environmental, economic, and social impacts to help make decisions more equitable. In an example scenario prepared using publicly available data, FACET was applied to predict tradeoffs facing the Colorado River and to balance competing demands of river flow and temperature, along with withdrawals for cities, crop irrigation, and power generation.
Iceland’s Fagradalsfjall is erupting. This UB expert helps predict where lava may go
Mattia de’ Michieli Vitturi, a geology faculty member and a mathematician, uses computational modeling to help officials in Iceland understand where lava may flow BUFFALO, N.Y. — The eruption of Fagradalsfjall on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula, with lava emerging from multiple…

Snappy evolution was behind the success of ancient crocodiles
New research led by the University of Bristol has revealed that crocodiles once flourished on land and in the oceans as a result of fast evolution.

Younger Tyrannosaurus Rex bites were less ferocious than their adult counterparts
By closely examining the jaw mechanics of juvenile and adult tyrannosaurids, some of the fiercest dinosaurs to inhabit earth, scientists led by the University of Bristol have uncovered differences in how they bit into their prey.
Study resolves the position of fleas on the tree of life
A study of more than 1,400 protein-coding genes of fleas has resolved one of the longest standing mysteries in the evolution of insects, reordering their placement in the tree of life and pinpointing who their closest relatives are.

OpenTopography Collaboration Awarded New Four-Year Grant
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has renewed funding for OpenTopography, a science gateway that provides online access to Earth science oriented high-resolution topography data and processing tools to a broad user community advancing research and education in areas ranging from earthquake geology to ecology and hydrology.
To help students think in 3D, a geologist turns to paper model making
“Geology is a 3D science, but everything we give to students is on a 2D piece of paper,” says University at Buffalo geologist Chris Lowry, creator of the Foldable Aquifer Project. “With the foldable aquifers, students don’t have to imagine what a 2D drawing looks like in 3D.”

Six Berkeley Lab Scientists Named AAAS Fellows
Six scientists from the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).