Research Spotlights Archive - Page 2 of 69

Researchers unravel the mystery of an anomaly in Earth’s ionosphere

7 August 2017

Auroras May Explain an Anomaly in Earth’s Ionosphere

A new study finds that the ionospheric anomaly over the Weddell Sea is likely influenced by proximity to auroral energy input, rather than by tilting magnetic fields.

Natural Hazards

Researchers draft a new model to better simulate deadly pyroclastic flows.

3 August 2017

A Promising New Tool for Forecasting Volcanic Hazards

A new model that simulates the behavior of surging ash clouds may help scientists to better predict the hazards associated with the deadliest type of volcanic flows.

1 Comment

Biogeosciences

Cows lounge in a tree-dotted pasture in central Chile

2 August 2017

Are Studies That Evaluate Ecosystem Services Useful?

Ecologists find flaws in the approach to research that focuses on services ecosystems provide to humans. These flaws limit certain studies’ utility.

1 Comment

Hydrology, Cryosphere & Earth Surface

Researchers assess how past flooding influences river meanders

2 August 2017

A New Model for River Meanders

A river’s twists and turns are shaped by its past flood events.

Hydrology, Cryosphere & Earth Surface

1 August 2017

Follow Earthworm Tracks to Better Simulate Water Flow in Soils

Incorporating paths carved by the critters and by tree roots helps scientists align simulations of tropical soils more closely with real-world data.

Biogeosciences

Satellite image of land surface in South Asia, observed in August 2004, from the Blue Marble data set.

1 August 2017

The Competing Climate Effects of Elevation and Albedo

Variations in surface reflectivity are as important as surface elevation changes in determining regional climate at nonpolar latitudes, according to a new modeling study.

Climate Change

New research suggests North American Arctic waters are neither source nor sink for greenhouse gasses

1 August 2017

A Benchmark for Trace Greenhouse Gases in the Arctic Ocean

Samples of seawater from the North American Arctic show that the region is neither a major source nor sink of methane and nitrous oxide to the overlying atmosphere.

Biogeosciences