A new analysis of South African sediments hints that acidic lakes may have leached minerals necessary for biotic life.
News
Red Rocks: Using Color to Understand Climate Change
A recent study on hematite formation during the Triassic may help predict the effects of climate change on contemporary monsoonal environments.
The Difficulty of Defining the Anthropocene
Humans may be in a new geologic epoch—the Anthropocene—but different groups define its start at varied times. When should the Anthropocene have begun?
Arctic Lightning Up 300% in One 11-Year Study
The increase may be due to climate change, researchers suggest, but the trend hasn’t been observed in other lightning data sets.
Observing a Galápagos Volcano from Buildup to Eruption
Insights from a 13-year monitoring program of Sierra Negra—one of the many volcanoes that dot the Galápagos Islands—shed light on the volcanic evolution of basaltic eruption.
A Global Monitoring System Could Change the Future of Climatology
Researchers hope that a network of highly consistent climate-observing sites will resolve long-standing issues with climatological data.
Flying Saucers Could One Day Probe the Mesosphere
Researchers have created thin, levitating disks that could be used to study the mesosphere, a layer of Earth’s atmosphere that’s difficult to reach with conventional flyers.
A Dip in Atmospheric Carbon May Have Facilitated Dinosaur Dispersal
Herbivorous dinosaurs migrated north across Pangea beginning about 214 million years ago, coincident with a downturn in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.
Rocket Mission Conjures a Ghostly Noctilucent Cloud
Night-shining clouds can be diagnostic tools to better understand how human activity is changing the meteorology of the mesosphere.
Cold Curriculum for a Hot Topic
Educators at ice core labs teach students hands-on lessons about climate change.