Test finds ash at concentrations so low and sizes so small that other tests would likely miss it
Tag: GEOLOGY/SOIL
Land repair vital for survival
Successful dryland restoration to benefit 2bn people
A rock with many perspectives
The Alum Shale of Northern Europe not only has an eventful history of formation, connected with the microcontinent Baltica, it also holds great potential as an object of investigation for future research questions. Geologists use the rock to reconstruct processes…
‘Golden nail’: Quarry near Salzgitter becomes global geological reference point
Research team with Goethe University participation successfully proposes former quarry in Lower Saxony as Global Stratotype Section and Point
Mini radar could find water and habitable tunnels on the Moon or Mars
A miniature radar device that scans deep below ground is being developed to identify ice deposits and even hollowed out lava tubes on the Moon to support possible human settlement.
New web platform for planning flood prevention in cities
Heavy rain and flooding are currently making headlines – as they did last winter. Floods like these, but also rising sea levels and storm surges, together with storms, represent the greatest natural hazard in terms of economic damage and can…
NGA funds RIT researchers to explore the limits of spectral remote sensing imaging systems
Principal investigator Professor John Kerekes receives up to $1 million for fundamental research
Fossil rodent teeth add North American twist to Caribbean mammals’ origin story
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Two fossil teeth from a distant relative of North American gophers have scientists rethinking how some mammals reached the Caribbean Islands. The teeth, excavated in northwest Puerto Rico, belong to a previously unknown rodent genus and species,…
Arrival of land plants changed Earth’s climate control system
The arrival of plants on land about 400 million years ago may have changed the way the Earth naturally regulates its own climate, according to a new study led by researchers at UCL (University College London) and Yale.
Solar radio signals could be used to monitor melting ice sheets
The sun provides a daunting source of electromagnetic disarray – chaotic, random energy emitted by the massive ball of gas arrives to Earth in a wide spectrum of radio frequencies. But in that randomness, Stanford researchers have discovered the makings…
Every spot of green space counts
The city park may be an artificial ecosystem but it plays a key role in the environment and our health, the first global assessment of the microbiome in city parks has found.
UN’s new global framework for managing nature: 1st detailed draft agreement launched
Draft 1 of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework includes 21 action targets proposed for 2030; Will be considered at UN Convention on Biological Diversity’s COP15
Researchers: Let crop residues rot in the field — it’s a climate win
Plant material that lies to rot in soil isn’t just valuable as compost. In fact, agricultural crop residue plays a crucial role in sequestering carbon, which is vital for reducing global CO2 emissions.
Rise in Southeast Asia forest clearance increasing greenhouse gases
Forest clearance in Southeast Asia is accelerating, leading to unprecedented increases in carbon emissions, according to new research. The findings, revealed by a research team including University of Leeds academics, show that forests are being cut down at increasingly higher…
Q-CTRL awarded $3.5 million grant from Australian government for space-based quantum sensors
Company to expand the development and manufacture of advanced sensors for climate data monitoring, mining, defense applications and more
Ancient ostrich eggshell reveals new evidence of extreme climate change thousands of years ago
Evidence from an ancient eggshell has revealed important new information about the extreme climate change faced by human early ancestors. The research shows parts of the interior of South Africa that today are dry and sparsely populated, were once wetland…
Longest known continuous record of the Paleozoic discovered in Yukon wilderness
Discovery illuminates a 120-million-year record of ancient Earth
Model predicts when rivers that cross faults will change course
Researchers created a model that uses the movement at fault lines to understand river flow and vice versa
$1.4 million grant increases coverage of Mississippi River Basin
Walton Family Foundation grant will create the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, covering agriculture, water and environmental issues within the region
Reading the rocks: Geologist finds clues to ancient climate patterns in chert
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — A million years ago, dry seasons became more frequent and forests retreated before the encroaching savanna. Meanwhile, clustered around a nearby lake, our ancient ancestors fashioned stone tools. During the long press of years, mud and sediment…
Like a molten pancake
New model for shield volcano eruption
Changes in Earth’s orbit enabled the emergence of complex life
Scientists at the University of Southampton have discovered that changes in Earth’s orbit may have allowed complex life to emerge and thrive during the most hostile climate episode the planet has ever experienced. The researchers – working with colleagues in…
CWRU receives $1.2M W.M. Keck Foundation grant to determine ecological factors affect the evolution of our ancestors
Professor Beverly Saylor leads interdisciplinary global group applying state-of-the art technology to answer ancient questions
NASA space lasers map meltwater lakes in Antarctica with striking precision
From above, the Antarctic Ice Sheet might look like a calm, perpetual ice blanket that has covered Antarctica for millions of years. But the ice sheet can be thousands of meters deep at its thickest, and it hides hundreds of…
$10M grant funds study of dairy’s carbon footprint
ITHACA, N.Y. – A new $10 million grant aims to help the U.S. dairy industry become at least carbon neutral while supporting farmer livelihoods – providing important insight for New York state, which ranks fourth in milk production nationwide. Quirine…
Story tips: Powered by nature, get on the bus, accelerating methane and more
Manufacturing – Powered by nature A team of researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory demonstrated the ability to additively manufacture power poles from bioderived and recycled materials, which could more quickly restore electricity after natural disasters. Using the Big Area…
University of Guam: Less than 10% of transplanted cycads survive long-term in foreign soil
Long-term monitoring needed to accurately measure transplantation success
Wallonia as an international reference for the timeline
Paleontologists from Univeristy of Liège (Belgium) redefine the geological boundary between the Devonian and Carboniferous periods. A Walloon site could be chosen as a world reference for this boundary.
Eruption of the Laacher See volcano redated
Revised date of the Laacher See eruption 13,077 years ago provides crucial information about historical climate fluctuations at the end of the last Ice Age
Extreme events: Ecosystems offer cost effective protection
Decision-makers around the world are increasingly interested in using ecosystem solutions such as mangroves, coral reefs, sand dunes and forests on steep slopes to help buffer the impacts from hazard events and protect populations. But what evidence exists to show…
Research shows Alaska infrastructure at risk of earlier failure
Roads, bridges, pipelines and other types of infrastructure in Alaska and elsewhere in the Arctic will deteriorate faster than expected due to a failure by planners to account for the structures’ impact on adjacent permafrost, according to research by a University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute permafrost expert and others.
Antarctic Circumpolar Current flows more rapidly in warm phases
In future the intensity of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current could increase, accelerating climate change
Compost improves apple orchard sustainability
As the saying goes, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. But what’s the key to growing a quality apple? Apple trees need access to important nutrients, which come from the soil. However, soil is quite different from orchard…
Mining precious rare-earth elements from coal fly ash with a reusable ionic liquid
Rare-earth elements are in many everyday products, such as smart phones, LED lights and batteries. However, only a few locations have large enough deposits worth mining, resulting in global supply chain tensions. So, there’s a push toward recycling them from…
Crustal block tectonics offer clues to Venus’ geology, study finds
New study that includes contributions by Baylor planetary geophysicist Peter James, identifies previously unrecognized pattern of tectonic deformation on Venus
Earlier flood forecasting could help avoid disaster in Japan
In Japan, thousands of homes and businesses and hundreds of lives have been lost to typhoons. But now, researchers have revealed that a new flood forecasting system could provide earlier flood warnings, giving people more time to prepare or evacuate, and potentially saving lives.
The Earth has a pulse — a 27.5-million-year cycle of geological activity
Geologic activity on Earth appears to follow a 27.5-million-year cycle, giving the planet a “pulse,” according to a new study published in the journal Geoscience Frontiers.
Concrete Wall Seismic Test Data Wins NHERI DesignSafe Dataset Award 2021
Findings help revise New Zealand and U.S. building codes for earthquake resilience
Fossil research shows woodlice cousins roamed Ireland 360 million years ago
The old cousins of the common woodlice were crawling on Irish land as long as 360 million years ago, according to new analysis of a fossil found in Kilkenny.
Reduced microbial stability linked to soil carbon loss in active layer under alpine permafrost degra
Chinese researchers have recently discovered links between reduction in microbial stability and soil carbon loss in the active layer of degraded alpine permafrost on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). The researchers, headed by Prof. CHEN Shengyun from the Northwest Institute of…
Fossil research shows woodlice cousins roamed Ireland 360 million years ago
New techniques used to recreate the image of the Oxyuropoda – the cousin of the garden woodlice
Bacteria used to clean diesel-polluted soil in Greenland
Diesel-polluted soil from now defunct military outposts in Greenland can be remediated using naturally occurring soil bacteria according to an extensive five-year experiment in Mestersvig, East Greenland
EU provides 15 million euros of funding for Arctic project
The European Union will provide 15 million euros from the Horizon 2020 Programme to fund the Arctic PASSION project for the period 2021 to 2025. Under the leadership of the Alfred Wegener Institute, a consortium of 35 partners will promote…
Preformed gel particles tested for enhanced oil recovery
A joint paper went out in Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering
The most ancient ice in the Alps will be preserved in Antarctica
The Ice Memory mission by CNR, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and PSI (Switzerland) has extracted two ice cores over 80 m long from Colle Gnifetti, at 4,500 meters
Portland places priority on geology
The Rose City hosts GSA Connects 2021
Investigating carbonate mineral chemical variations to improve oil recovery
One-size-fits-all approach to well stimulation doesn’t always work
Not acting like themselves: Antidepressants in environment alter crayfish behavior
Crayfish exposed to low levels of antidepressant medication behaved in ways that could make them more vulnerable to predators
NASA Snow Campaign Wraps for 2021
As the last snow melts, NASA’s SnowEx teams are packing up the snowshoes, skis, and scientific instruments they’ve used all winter to study snow in mountains and prairies. Now, they’re turning their attention to a different kind of mountain –…
Biodiversity ‘hotspots’ imperiled along California’s streams
Intensive water management promotes ‘live fast, die young’ cycle in floodplain forests