An ultraslow-spreading stretch of the Southwest Indian Ridge is thicker than expected: both tectonic and volcanic processes may be feeding the growing seafloor there.
Kate Wheeling
Kate Wheeling is a freelance journalist based in Santa Barbara, Calif. She writes about the environment, climate change, energy, and our relationship with the natural world. She was previously a staff writer at Pacific Standard, covering both environmental and criminal justice. Her work has also appeared in Outside, The New Republic, Medium, and elsewhere. She has a master’s degree in science journalism and a bachelor’s in behavioral neuroscience.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Simulating a Warmer, Drier Arctic
Field experiments examine the effect of rising temperatures and drying soils on carbon dynamics in the Arctic.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Dynamics of the Earth's Surface in the Eastern Tibetan Plateau
River erosion increased rapidly following rock uplift events in the plateau approximately 11 million years ago.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
New Insights into Currents in Earth's Magnetic Field
Multisatellite missions give scientists a more complete view of the intense currents that bounce back and forth along our planet's magnetic field lines.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Regional Nuclear War Could Cause a Global Famine
A detonation of less than 0.03% of the current global nuclear arsenal could cause fires that clog the air with soot. This soot could block solar radiation, leading to worldwide crop shortages.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Tipping Point for Nuisance Coastal Flooding May Come by 2050
By midcentury, many U.S. cities along the Mid-Atlantic, Gulf, and West coasts may experience 30 or more days a year with minor flooding.