Hypervelocity impact experiments shed new light on the composition and evolution of the largest dwarf planet's little-known surface.
Research Spotlights
Research spotlights are plain-language summaries of recent articles published in AGU’s suite of 24 journals.
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New Space Weather Forecast Technique Fails to Improve Forecasts
For years, scientists have proposed upgrading the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's solar storm forecasts to account for their tilt as they streak toward Earth. But does it help?
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How Plant Life Survives on Earth's Driest Inhabited Continent
Australia is a continent of extremes, and researchers find that some ecosystems are better equipped than others to deal with the country's characteristic extreme climatic variation.
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Satellites Reveal Dynamics of Suspended Mineral Particles
A case study of the Irish Sea evaluates the use of ocean color data to measure the optical properties of sedimentary particles in offshore waters.
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Detecting Black Carbon in the Arctic Atmosphere
Measurements of light-absorbing carbon particles made during an Arctic research expedition could improve understanding of their effects on the Arctic climate.
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How Sediment Transport Sways Wetland Stability
Scientists examine the role of variables like tides and suspended sediment concentration to improve methods of evaluating coastal wetlands and how they may respond to future sea level rise.
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Seismic Clues Reveal the Mechanisms Behind Iceberg Calving
Scientists combine models and video footage of iceberg calving to analyze the potential of seismology to unravel physical processes behind the breakup of ice sheets.
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Soil Crusts Play a Dual Role in Desertification
Rain falling on bare soil can form a hard crust that prevents further infiltration. But do these crusts worsen land degradation or help to prevent it?
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Improved Models of Wind Flow over Mountains
A new approach for representing areas of low-lying mountains improves the simulation of atmospheric flow over gentle topography without increasing computational requirements.
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Distant Rains Contributed to La Niña Ocean Warming Event
Unusually low salinity intensified a warm-water current off the coast of Western Australia in 2010–2011.