Evidence for lithospheric foundering, or the process of denser material sinking into the mantle, is emerging.
Research Spotlights
Research spotlights are plain-language summaries of recent articles published in AGU’s suite of 24 journals.
How Could Solar Climate Intervention Strategies Affect Agriculture?
Geoengineering approaches such as stratospheric aerosol injection hold the promise of limiting warming, but among the many potential risks and concerns, their impacts on agriculture remain largely unexplored.
Modeling the Long and Short of Subduction Zones
A new subduction model could reveal important insights about megathrust earthquakes.
Warm Seawater Encroaches on Major Antarctic Ice Shelf
In unprecedented detail, new research illuminates the seasonal flow of warm water toward the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf.
Antarctic Ice Melt May Fuel Eruptions of Hidden Volcanoes
More than 100 volcanoes lurk beneath the surface in Antarctica. Ice sheet melt could set them off.
Magmatic Fluids and Melts May Lie Beneath Dormant German Volcanoes
New processing strategies applied to old seismic data reveal potential pockets of magmatic fluids or melts from the upper mantle.
Massive Antarctic Icebergs May Calve at Random
The first analysis of extreme calving events in Antarctica finds no correlation with climate change, highlighting the significance of common, smaller calving events for ice loss and instability.
Cold Days Bring Fast Ice
Thirty-seven years of observations reveal the meteorological conditions that lead to persistent, thick fast ice in Antarctica.
Bringing Climate Change’s Effects on Atmospheric Circulation to Light
A lengthening observational record is being used to test predictions and improve understanding of the mechanisms behind changing circulation.
Aerosols Could Be Weakening Summertime Circulation
Anthropogenic aerosol emissions may be a culprit behind weakening jet streams and weather systems in the Northern Hemisphere.