A prototype model allows scientists to investigate how wind eddies and other atmospheric phenomena may affect the prevalence of heat waves and cold snaps in the Southern Hemisphere.

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.
More Evidence Humans Migrated to the Americas via Coastal Route
A new chronology shows that ice-free areas existed along the British Columbia coast earlier than previously thought.
Observations Show Gravity Waves Above Antarctica Dance in Winter
Year-round observations show gravity waves above Antarctica exhibit seasonal patterns that peak in winter, which could help researchers trace the source of this mysterious phenomenon.
New Plasma Wave Observations from Earth’s Magnetosphere
The first simultaneous observations of multiple electromagnetic wave types in Earth’s magnetosphere may inaugurate a new field of inquiry into cross-frequency wave interactions.
Ancient Faults Amplify Intraplate Earthquakes
A comparison of deformation rates from Canada’s Saint Lawrence Valley offers compelling evidence that strain in the region is concentrated along ancient structures from previous tectonic cycles.
Unraveling the Origin of Slow Earthquakes
Different nucleation styles detected in five slow-slip events in the same area of Japan’s Ryukyu subduction zone suggest the physical properties along this tectonic plate interface change over time.
How Do Turbidity Currents Accelerate?
Flume experiments show that a self-reinforcing cycle can strengthen the currents responsible for transporting large amounts of sediment to the deep oceans.
Regional Metamorphism Occurs Before Continents Collide
Evidence from collision zones suggests that the high temperatures that create regional zones of metamorphic minerals occur in wide, hot back arcs prior to continental collision deformation.
Volcano in Iceland Is One of the Largest Sources of Volcanic CO2
High-precision airborne measurements, in combination with atmospheric modeling, suggest that the Katla subglacial caldera may be one of the planet’s biggest sources of volcanic carbon dioxide.
Unraveling the Origins of Australia’s Ancient Mountain Chains
New data synthesis suggests that varying rates of trench retreat along the margin of the Gondwana supercontinent were responsible for the curvature of the Tasmanide mountain chains.