A new study reevaluates the use of vapor pressure deficit, or VPD, in climate models to predict increases in area burned by wildfire across the U.S. West.
Research Spotlights
Research spotlights are plain-language summaries of recent articles published in AGU’s suite of 24 journals.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Seismic Attenuation Techniques Reveal What Lies Beneath Taiwan
A new imaging modality explores the complex subduction‐collision transition zone below southern Taiwan.
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Where Was Baltica 616 Million Years Ago?
Disentangling magnetic signals in its ancient rocks gives an updated view of the paleocontinent’s position during the Ediacaran period.
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Want to Predict Wildfire Severity? Look to the State of Vegetation
A new study connects satellite data on vegetation condition, topography, and weather conditions to examine the predicted versus actual burn severity of the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires.
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How Wildfires Worsen Flood Risk
A new approach to analyzing watersheds shows how storms occurring after a wildfire can have higher flooding risk than similar storms that occurred before a fire.
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What Makes Mars’s Magnetotail Flap?
Spacecraft reveal a key driver of up-and-down motions of thin, current-carrying plasma sheets on the nightside of Mars.
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Eddy or Not: Do Eddies Actually Transport That Much Carbon?
New data from remote floats around the world indicate the eddy subduction pump is of only secondary importance.
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Mediterranean Mussel Farming Could Collapse by 2050
New experiments suggest that ocean warming and acidification are on track to slash both oyster and mussel farming yields.
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Navigating the Past with Ancient Stone Compass Needles
The emerging field of magnetic microscopy allows scientists to reconstruct ancient magnetic fields from individual magnetic particles. A new study evaluates the accuracy of the technique.