NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft discovered electric currents in Mercury's magnetosphere directed toward and away from the planet. Do the currents reach the planet? If so, where do they go?
Research Spotlights
Research spotlights are plain-language summaries of recent articles published in AGU’s suite of 24 journals.
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Gravity Waves Drive Global Changes in Earth's Upper Atmosphere
Deep convective objects such as the plumes in thunderstorms can trigger gravity waves, which disturb the wind and temperatures hundreds of kilometers above Earth's surface.
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Shape of Stream Channels Gives Clues to Sediment Size
The shape can also reveal information on the force required to carve sediment from its bank.
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Unusual Echo Signal in Atmospheric E Layer
Metallic plasma layers in Earth's ionosphere interfere with radio communications and produce odd echo behavior at specific frequencies.
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Satellite Data Yield Detailed Picture of the Lunar Wake
Researchers use satellite data to characterize the physical properties of the lunar wake and the processes that govern it.
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How Do Tiny Ice Crystals Help Sea Ice Stay Thick?
Supercooled water contributes to sea ice growth in Antarctica.
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Precooled Aerosols Are Better Raindrop Nuclei
Cooling inorganic and organic aqueous solutions makes the particles into more robust seeds of clouds.
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A Modified Technique to Remotely Detect Subsurface Melt
Adapting a much-used analytical method to consider anisotropy opens up the approach to new uses.
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Shooting Stars and Cosmic Dust Help Form Clouds, Fertilize Plankton
Tons of cosmic dust enter Earth’s atmosphere each day, triggering a range of phenomena that scientists are only just beginning to understand.
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Survey Shows Where Arctic Marine Bird Populations Thrive
"Hot spots" of species richness currently include the Bering Sea, Lancaster Sound, Baffin Bay, and Davis Strait. Will this change as sea ice melts?