A new study shows that trace gas samples collected aboard commercial airliners can be used to determine the origin and dynamics of atmospheric air masses.

Terri Cook
Terri Cook is an award-winning freelance writer whose career has focused on exploring and explaining the 4.5-billion-year-history of the remarkable planet we live on. Cook, who has an M.S. degree in Earth science from the University of California, Santa Cruz, writes about geology, ecology, and the environment—as well as wine, tea, hiking, and biking—for a diverse group of publications, including Eos, Scientific American, NOVA Next, Science News, and EARTH magazine, as well as Avalon Travel and numerous other travel-related publications. Her reporting has taken her to 25 states and 20 countries scattered across 5 continents, from the depths of the Grand Canyon to the sandy Australian Outback to the mist-shrouded summit of Bali’s Mount Batur. As the coauthor of three popular guidebooks, including Hiking the Grand Canyon’s Geology and Geology Underfoot Along Colorado’s Front Range, Cook gives frequent presentations about geology and science communication. She is the recipient of a 2016 European Geosciences Union Science Journalism Fellowship and is based in beautiful Boulder, Colo.
New Model Improves Predictions of Shallow Landslides
An advanced, process-based model that incorporates typically neglected processes provides new insight into the complex dynamics controlling shallow landslide formation.
High Methane Emissions Detected During Subarctic Lake Melt
A spike detected in surface methane released from a seasonally ice-covered lake in northern Sweden coincides with the spring thaw and lake overturn.
Satellites Reveal the History of the Moon's "Frigid Sea"
The history of aluminum-rich basalts in Mare Frigoris may help scientists better understand the evolution of the lunar mantle.
What Triggers Intraseasonal Oscillations in the Indian Ocean?
A new modeling study suggests that the triggering of the Madden-Julian Oscillation is dominated by interactions with preceding events.
Wharton Basin Earthquakes: Evidence for a New Plate Boundary?
The largest ever strike-slip earthquake may have occurred on a newly developing boundary between the Indian and Australian plates.
Dating Lava Domes in California's Salton Trough
Scientists use a trio of techniques to resolve the age and duration of rhyolite volcanism of the Salton Buttes.
Birthplace of Pacific Tropical Cyclones on the Move
A study says the point of origin for cyclones in the western North Pacific is moving closer to land because of warming of the tropical troposphere.
Near-Surface Aquifer Discovered on Svalbard Glacier
Arctic glacier aquifer may respond more rapidly to climate change than larger aquifers found on the Greenland ice sheet.
Large Variability Measured in Kuroshio Current East of Taiwan
Ship surveys show that the "Gulf Stream" of the Pacific is not a stable boundary current.