Acoustically tracked floats drift far below the ocean’s surface, providing fresh discoveries about deep-sea currents. A new archive gathers decades’ worth of float data into a central repository.
Science Updates
Digging Deep into Geosciences with Minecraft
Building volcanoes, caves, and other features in an “open-world” computer game is an engaging way to teach the next generation about Earth.
Mapping and Monitoring Soil Moisture in Forested Landscapes
Monitoring Forest Soil Moisture for a Changing World; Ann Arbor, Michigan, 15–17 May 2018
How Do We Accomplish System Science in Space?
Exploring Systems-Science Techniques for the Earth’s Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere; Los Alamos, New Mexico, 24–26 July 2018
Exploring the Unknown of the Ross Sea in Sea Ice–Free Conditions
A team of polar scientists aboard the OGS Explora, cruising in rare ice-free conditions, discovered new evidence of ancient and modern-day ice sheet sensitivity to climatic fluctuations.
Using Information Theory in Earth Sciences
Second Workshop on Information Theory and the Earth Sciences; Santander, Spain, 16–19 May 2018
Nations Work Together to Size Up Caribbean Tsunami Hazards
An international collaboration is using historical records and modeling to assess tsunami potential in this high-risk region.
A Cross-Sectoral Approach to Tackle Ocean Plastic Pollution
Plastic in the Oceans: Challenges and Solutions; Cambridge, United Kingdom, 7 March 2018
Agencies Collaborate to Better Monitor and Model the Environment
Interagency Collaborative for Environmental Modeling and Monitoring: Monitoring and Model Data Fusion; Rockville, Maryland, 24–25 April 2018
A Modeling Toolbox for Permafrost Landscapes
A new resource makes it easier for researchers to explore predictions of how melting permafrost might affect carbon release, wetlands, and river deltas as they evolve and other interacting effects.