Leaf-cutter ant nest openings emit up to 100,000 times more carbon dioxide than surrounding soil, a new study shows.
Research Spotlights
Research spotlights are plain-language summaries of recent articles published in AGU’s suite of 24 journals.
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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.
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Organic Particles Affect Carbon Cycling in Boreal Waters
Dissolved organic carbon receives much of the focus in aquatic research, but a new study suggests that bulkier particulate matter may play a significant role in regulating carbon dioxide emissions.
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How Monsoons in Africa Drove Glacier Growth in Europe
A new study shows that low-latitude weather can affect distant glaciers.
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Plasma Activity Around Sunspots May Foreshadow Solar Storms
A new study identifies possible precursors to space weather in the regions encircling sunspots.
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In a Submarine Trough, Permeable Rocks May Lead to Quakes
In Japan’s submarine Nankai Trough, rock permeability is much higher when measured at larger scales, likely because of big fractures and faults that are not captured at small scales.
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Tool to Capture Marine Biological Activity Gets Coastal Upgrade
Upwelling hinders an efficient method to estimate a key measure of biological productivity in coastal waters, but accounting for surface temperatures could boost accuracy.
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Satellite Observations Validate Stratosphere Temperature Models
Since the 1970s, the stratosphere has cooled as ozone levels dropped and carbon dioxide levels increased. Chemical models of the temperature decline conflicted with satellite observations—until now.
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Tiny Marine Shells Reveal Past Patterns in Ocean Dynamics
A 400,000-year calcium carbonate record from the ocean floor sheds light on deep-ocean circulation and on mechanisms driving climate patterns and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations.
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Greenhouse Gas Inventories Underestimate Methane Emissions
A new study in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area reveals prior estimates may significantly underrepresent methane emissions, particularly from landfills and natural gas systems.