Researchers use computer simulations to uncover the significant contributions that dry soil and atmospheric wind patterns make to major heat waves.
CC BY-NC-ND 2019
What Lies Beneath Is Important for Ice Sheets
New research reconstructing the topography of Antarctica shows that the continent has 25% less land above sea level than when ice first started to accumulate 34 million years ago.
Finding Faults in Our Past: Uncovering the Messina Earthquake
The source of the deadly 1908 Italian earthquake may finally be identified, thanks to a fresh look at the geomorphology of the Strait of Messina.
Reconstructing 150 Million Years of Arctic Ocean Climate
A new summary of past Arctic climate conditions gives insight into anthropogenic influences on today’s climate and on the need for future drilling studies to further improve our understanding of the past.
Rating Fire Danger from the Ground Up
Soil moisture information could improve assessments of wildfire probabilities and fuel conditions, resulting in better fire danger ratings.
Will Melting Sea Ice Expose Marine Animals to New Diseases?
Marine mammals previously separated by Arctic ice may have more opportunities to interact as water routes redefine habitats and species ranges.
Hydropower and Bugs
Alpine hydropower plants commonly flush sediment that accumulates at intakes, but the associated rapid rise in discharge, turbidity, and streambed instability put aquatic insects at risk.
Atmospheric Rivers Trigger Heavy Snowmelt in Western USA
A rare atmospheric phenomenon that transports large quantities of water vapor into the coastal watersheds of the western USA is responsible for up to 10–20% of intense snowmelt events in the region.
Scientists Scramble to Collect Data After Ridgecrest Earthquakes
Ground shaking in Southern California, including a magnitude 7.1 temblor, triggered a massive mobilization effort to collect seismological, geological, and geodetic data.
What Controls How Quickly Faults Heal?
The rates at which fault zones “heal” through secondary mineralization have been elusive, but uranium-thorium dating of calcite growth in fault-zone fractures may provide the answer.