Looking for Climate Clues in China’s Great Wall
In northwestern China, desert conditions have preserved the farthest reaches of the Great Wall. Scientists are now exploring 2,000-year-old building materials for signs of the region’s past climate.
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Our Favorite Science Stories of 2023
What Earth and space science stories stood out this year?
The Unfair Share of Shade in California’s Central Valley
Researchers find that disadvantaged communities in Fresno are significantly sunnier and hotter than wealthier ones.
Microplastics Are the Not-So-Secret Ingredient in Marine Snow
Particles of tiny, degraded plastics coated with biofilms sink to the seafloor, carrying carbon with them.
Climate Change May Be Causing Stronger Thunderstorm Wind Gusts
A new study suggests straight-line wind events are increasing in a warming climate.
The Winds of Change: Foehn Drive Intense Melt
Atmospheric rivers on the northwestern Greenland Ice Sheet are driving dry winds across northeastern Greenland, forcing extreme short-term melt.
Icelandic Fissure Finally Erupts
The position of the eruption and wind conditions are favorable. No one is in immediate danger, local officials said.
Steamy Bubbles May Control Old Faithful’s Clock
Scientists built a minigeyser to show why the natural wonder’s water surges so violently between eruptions.
Global Water Loss Happens Almost Entirely in the Southern Hemisphere
A recent study suggests that the Southern Hemisphere not only is more vulnerable to climate change but also loses significantly more water than the Northern Hemisphere.
When Forests on Land Burn, Forests Underwater Feel the Impact
Kelp is a habitat, a carbon sink, and a binding agent in your ice cream. But new research shows that California’s kelp forests are affected by the fate of their counterparts on land.