To understand the ancient movement of Earth’s tectonic plates, comprehensive magnetic and petrographic studies are needed to detect secondary magnetization in carbonates and other sedimentary rocks.
Research Spotlights
Research spotlights are plain-language summaries of recent articles published in AGU’s suite of 24 journals.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Do Rivers Flow over Bedrock?
A study questions whether the hydraulics of rivers that lack loose sediments along their bottoms can be accurately depicted by standard equations for flow over sediment.
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When Ocean and Atmosphere Couple, the Climate Wobbles
Every 25–30 years, the ocean and atmosphere conspire to produce an enhanced North Atlantic Oscillation
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Catching Glimpses of Centuries-Old Earthquakes
Researchers in the western United States survey the earthquakes that have torn up California for the past millennium.
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Reinterpreting the Age and Origins of Taiwan’s Yuli Belt Terrane
Uranium-lead dating of zircons from Taiwan’s east central metamorphic belt offers robust evidence that this uplifted terrane is some 90 million years younger than previously thought.
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What’s the Average Methane Isotope Signature in Arctic Wetlands?
Aircraft measurements confirm that methane emissions from northern European wetlands exhibit a uniform regional carbon isotopic signature, despite considerable ground-level heterogeneity.
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Black Carbon Measurements in the Arctic Get an Upgrade
Long-term data of higher accuracy could help improve global climate models and reveal trends in black carbon’s influence on Arctic climate.
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Can Tree Planting Really Help Mitigate Climate Change?
It depends on where, when, and how.
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A Framework for Decisions on Science and Policy
Human reasoning has helped us become one of the most successful species to populate the planet, but we still struggle with cognitive biases.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Iceberg Surge During Last Deglaciation May Have Had Two Pulses
Seafloor sediment cores provide new clues that could help clarify the influence of ice sheet collapse on a period of ocean cooling marked by slowed deepwater circulation.