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Earth Sciences news
Seismic waves used to track LA's groundwater recharge after record wet winter
Record-setting storms in 2023 filled California's major reservoirs to the brim, providing some relief in a decades-long drought, but how much of that record rain trickled underground?
Earth Sciences
May 4, 2024
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Ice shelves fracture under weight of meltwater lakes, study shows
When air temperatures in Antarctica rise and glacier ice melts, water can pool on the surface of floating ice shelves, weighing them down and causing the ice to bend. Now, for the first time in the field, researchers have ...
Earth Sciences
May 3, 2024
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New research investigates how climate change amplifies severity of combined wind-rain extremes over the UK and Ireland
Climate change will cause an increase in extreme winter storms combining strong winds and heavy rainfall over the UK and Ireland, new research has shown.
Earth Sciences
May 3, 2024
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Uncovering the reasons behind the rapid warming of the North Pole
The North Pole region heats up faster than the rest of the world. Though this is a known fact, climate models underestimate the speed with which the region warms up. Sjoert Barten obtained his PhD on this subject at Wageningen ...
Earth Sciences
May 3, 2024
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Climate change threatens mountain meadows by reducing humus content, finds study
Mountain meadows are unique ecosystems. A research team led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now discovered that climate change reduces the humus content as well as the nitrogen stores in the grassland soils ...
Earth Sciences
May 3, 2024
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Lahar detection system upgraded for Mount Rainier
In the shadow of Washington State's Mount Rainier, about 90,000 people live in the path of a potential large lahar—a destructive, fluid and fast-moving debris flow associated with volcanic slopes.
Earth Sciences
May 3, 2024
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How mantle movements shape Earth's surface
The movement of tectonic plates shapes the rocky features of Earth's surface. Plates' convergence can form mountain ranges or ocean trenches, and their divergence can form oceanic ridges. But it's not just the plates themselves ...
Earth Sciences
May 3, 2024
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Demystifying the complex nature of Arctic clouds
With dancing ribbons of light visible in the sky, a team of researchers flew on a series of scenic and sometimes stormy flights into the cold unknown, trying to learn more about why one of the most frigid places on Earth ...
Earth Sciences
May 3, 2024
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New Nevada experiments aim to improve monitoring of nuclear explosions
On an October morning in 2023, a chemical explosion detonated in a tunnel under the Nevada desert was the launch of the next set of experiments by the National Nuclear Security Administration, with the goal to improve detection ...
Earth Sciences
May 3, 2024
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Lake tsunamis pose significant threat under warming climate
Cowee Creek, Brabazon Range, Upper Pederson Lagoon—they mark the sites of recent lake tsunamis, a phenomenon that is increasingly common in Alaska, British Columbia and other regions with mountain glaciers.
Earth Sciences
May 3, 2024
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Coastal hurricanes around the world are intensifying faster, new study finds
Hurricanes are among the world's most destructive natural hazards. Their ability to cause damage is shaped by their environment; conditions like warm ocean waters, guiding winds, and atmospheric moisture can all dictate storm ...
Earth Sciences
May 2, 2024
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Wildfires in wet African forests have doubled in recent decades, large-scale analysis finds
A new study presents the first large-scale analysis of fire patterns in West and Central Africa's wet, tropical forests. The number of active fires there typically doubled over 18 years, particularly in the Congo Basin. The ...
Earth Sciences
May 2, 2024
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A clock in the rocks: What cosmic rays tell us about Earth's changing surface and climate
How often do mountains collapse, volcanoes erupt or ice sheets melt?
Earth Sciences
May 2, 2024
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Weak magnetic field may have supported diversification of life on Earth
An unusual reduction in the strength of Earth's magnetic field between 591 and 565 million years ago coincided with a significant increase in the oxygen levels in the atmosphere and oceans, according to a paper published ...
Earth Sciences
May 2, 2024
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A look at the past suggests atmospheric rivers inundating California could get worse
A team of paleoclimatologists with the U.S. Geological Survey, NASA Ames Research Park, has found that atmospheric rivers in the past have dumped far more rain on California than those that have occurred over the past two ...
In the Jersey suburbs, a search for rocks to help fight climate change
In early spring, George Okoko was perched on a ledge 15 feet up a crumbly cliff, trying to whack off a basketball-size piece of rock with a hammer and chisel. The locale was suburban Berkeley Heights, N.J. The rock was basalt, ...
Earth Sciences
May 2, 2024
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Climate is one culprit in growth and spread of dust in Middle East
Climate change is transforming dust storms—a natural phenomenon in the Middle East—into a more frequent and widespread threat to health and economies throughout the region, a new study shows.
Earth Sciences
May 2, 2024
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Precipitation may brighten Colorado River's future, says modeling study
The Colorado River's future may be a little brighter than expected, according to a new modeling study from CIRES researchers. Warming temperatures, which deplete water in the river, have raised doubts the Colorado River could ...
Earth Sciences
May 1, 2024
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Mystery behind huge opening in Antarctic sea ice solved
Researchers have discovered the missing piece of the puzzle behind a rare opening in the sea ice around Antarctica, which was nearly twice the size of Wales and occurred during the winters of 2016 and 2017.
Earth Sciences
May 1, 2024
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Do earthquake hazard maps predict higher shaking than actually occurred? Research finds discrepancy
A new study by Northwestern University researchers and coworkers explains a puzzling problem with maps of future earthquake shaking used to design earthquake-resistant buildings. The research was published May 1 in the journal ...
Earth Sciences
May 1, 2024
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