Solar energetic particle events pose an acute risk to space travelers outside the protection of Earth’s magnetic field. A new initiative aims to quantify the danger.
Research Spotlights
Research spotlights are plain-language summaries of recent articles published in AGU’s suite of 24 journals.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Evaluating the Efficiency of Data Assimilation
Information is lost when researchers combine statistical models and remote sensing data, but just how much is often unclear. A new study offers a framework to measure the inefficiency.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Do Turbidity Currents Accelerate?
Flume experiments show that a self-reinforcing cycle can strengthen the currents responsible for transporting large amounts of sediment to the deep oceans.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Leaf-Cutter Ants Boost Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Soil
Leaf-cutter ant nest openings emit up to 100,000 times more carbon dioxide than surrounding soil, a new study shows.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
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.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
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.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Monsoons in Africa Drove Glacier Growth in Europe
A new study shows that low-latitude weather can affect distant glaciers.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Plasma Activity Around Sunspots May Foreshadow Solar Storms
A new study identifies possible precursors to space weather in the regions encircling sunspots.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
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.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
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.