Variations in Earth’s magnetic field can induce electric fields in the ground, driving damaging currents through our power grids.
Research Spotlights
Research spotlights are plain-language summaries of recent articles published in AGU’s suite of 24 journals.
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Simulating the Climate 145 Million Years Ago
A new model shows that the Intertropical Convergence Zone wasn't always a single band around the equator, which had drastic effects on climate.
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Lab Experiment Tests What Triggers Massive Solar Eruptions
In a first-of-its-kind demonstration, scientists provide experimental support for a possible mechanism behind the formation of coronal mass ejections.
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Why 2015 Was a Big Hurricane Year for the Eastern North Pacific
Record-breaking oceanic and atmospheric conditions led to a remarkable season in a key Pacific hurricane development region.
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Eliminating Uncertainty One Cloud at a Time
The impact of clouds on climate change has been a scientific mystery for decades. Now researchers are fighting to gain the upper hand.
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Switching to Drought-Tolerant Plants Could Alter Urban Climates
In Los Angeles, replacing lawns with native plants that need less water could lead to hotter days and cooler nights.
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Mars’s Climate May Have Been Wet Much Later Than Thought
Water-carved valleys may be relatively young, challenging assumptions about the history of the Red Planet's climate.
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Earthquakes Could Funnel Radio Waves to Dark Zones in Mountains
By being coupled with a layer of mobile electrical charges on the Earth's surface, radio waves could travel over the ground to areas that would normally be unreachable, like behind a mountain.
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Tide Gauge Records May Underestimate 20th Century Sea Level Rise
Tide gauges can help measure sea level change, but their limited locations and short records make it hard to pinpoint trends. Now researchers are evaluating the instruments' limitations.
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Mapping Water and Heat Deep Under Long Valley Caldera
Researchers use electrical resistivity to find the heat source and reservoir feeding Long Valley Caldera's labyrinthine hydrothermal system.