Research Spotlights Archives

A gif flips back and forth between two images of the Po River Basin. In June 2020, it appears much greener than in June 2022.

Modeling the Past, Present, and Future of Drought

by Rebecca Owen 18 April 202518 April 2025

A new study combines historical observations, climate modeling, and data from tree rings to create a fuller picture of historic as well as potential drought conditions.

Research Spotlights

Isotopes Unearth History of Earthquakes in the Apennines

by Nathaniel Scharping 17 April 202517 April 2025

Dating of cosmogenic chlorine isotopes yields long-term estimates of fault activity in Italy, showing that periods of earthquakes and quiescence alternate over millennia.

A stretch of green grass is visible between two rows of solar panels stretching into the distance. Gray clouds hang ominously over the scene.

Research Spotlights

Solar Power Shortages Are on the Rise

by Rebecca Dzombak 16 April 202516 April 2025

More communities are relying on solar power as a source of renewable energy, but increasing demand and climate change threaten its reliability.

The floor of a foggy forest is covered in orange and brown leaves. In the middle distance, two researchers are taking measurements of a narrow stream.

Research Spotlights

The “Surprising” Effect of Drying Headwaters on Nitrogen Dynamics

by Saima May Sidik 15 April 202515 April 2025

Contrary to predictions, spring rains caused a decrease in nitrogen at watershed outflows in Alabama.

A satellite image of the border between Türkiye and Syria is marked with multicolored waves. The magnitude 7.8 mainshock is marked on the map, and a scale at the bottom shows the interferometric phase in radians from −3.14 to 3.14.

Research Spotlights

Türkiye-Syria Temblors Reveal Missing Piece in Earthquake Physics

by Aaron Sidder 15 April 202515 April 2025

Newly discovered aseismic events triggered by the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake may represent a mode of fault slip between earthquakes and slow-slip events that researchers have long been seeking.

Dozens of ice cores—long, thin cylinders—are stored on a metal shelf and seen from the front, so they look like circles.

Research Spotlights

When Ice Ages End, Ocean Circulation Fine-Tunes Ocean Heat

by Sarah Stanley 14 April 202514 April 2025

New Antarctic ice core data bolster model predictions of ocean heat content during glacials and interglacials.

Four seemingly identical, octagonal, disklike structures, each with several various thin antennas extending outward at various angles, appear to be floating in a closely spaced cluster in space. In the background, on the right side of the image, is the round shape of the planet Earth, encircled by translucent, overlapping blue and purple lines.

Research Spotlights

New Insights into an Enigmatic Form of Magnetic Reconnection

by Sarah Stanley 11 April 202511 April 2025

A new study deepens understanding of magnetic field behavior recently discovered by NASA in Earth’s magnetosphere.

A large machine irrigates crops as the Sun rises in the background. The machine stretches into the distance out of frame and looks similar to a skeleton of a creature with many sets of legs.

Research Spotlights

“Thirstwaves” Are Growing More Common Across the United States

by Rebecca Owen 7 April 20257 April 2025

Like heat waves, these periods of high atmospheric demand for water can damage crops and ecosystems and increase pressure on water resources. New research shows they’re becoming more severe.