The Lightning Imaging Sensor on the International Space Station provides an expanded view of global lightning that improves scientific understanding of the Earth as well as public safety.
cool tools
New Tool Quantifies and Predicts Snow Droughts
A new metric for calculating snow water equivalence relies on three methodologies: modeling, satellite imagery, and direct observation.
Drones Help Bridge the Gaps in Assessing Global Change
New instruments in the research tool kit bolster scientific understanding of the ecology of a greening Arctic.
Mathematical Insights into the West African Monsoon
A tool from dynamic systems theory is helping atmospheric scientists identify how dust and moisture mix over West Africa.
Tracking Air Pollution from Ghana’s E-Waste Site
Researchers established a relatively low cost method that could help countries with limited monitoring capabilities measure particulate pollution in their skies.
All Hands on Deck to Catch Ion Cyclotron Waves
An international armada of orbiting satellites and ground VLF network join forces to form a “magnetosphere-ionosphere observatory” to size up electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves in the magnetosphere.
Insights from Calibration of the HP³ Radiometer on InSight
A detailed analysis of Heatflow and Physical Properties Package Radiometer on the Mars InSight lander, including changing instrument sensitivity and calibration coefficients.
Ghostly Particles from the Sun Confirm Nuclear Fusion
Using the Borexino particle detector—located deep underground in Italy—researchers spot elusive neutrinos from the Sun’s CNO cycle.
Five Things Spy Satellites Have Taught Us About Earth
Long before we had satellites beaming terabytes of data back to Earth, we had covert spacecraft the size of school buses snapping photos on rolls of film 50 kilometers long.
Remaking a Planet One Atom at a Time
When is a planet not a planet? Where does helium rain? How can water be solid and liquid at the same time? For answers, scientists put common planetary materials under extreme pressure and watched what happened next.