Snow on the Southern Alps turned from white to red in 2019-2020. New geochemical evidence points to the color change resulting from red Australian desert dust carried across the Tasman Sea.
deserts
Posted inNews
Climate Shifts Drive Episodic Drainage Changes
Drainage divide migration is influenced by tectonics and climate over long periods. New research in Israel shows that even shorter-term wet-dry cycles can move divides.
Posted inNews
Lots of Dust Gets Sucked Up by Jet Engines
Changing flight times and holding altitudes could substantially reduce the amount of wear-inducing dust ingested by jet engines.
Posted inOpinions
Concerns over Lithium, Water, and Climate in Earth’s Two Highest Deserts
Brine mining to meet resource demands amid renewable energy transitions is affecting water resources in South America and China. Hydrologists can help understand how and join the search for solutions.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Rainstorm Intensity Drives Desert Landscape Evolution
New mathematical models show that the persistence of near-vertical cliffs in arid landscapes is maintained by infrequent, but high-intensity rain storms.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Desert Landscape Evolution Controlled by Storm Intensity
A new study in the Negev Desert finds that long-term erosion of a desert escarpment occurs in drier areas where intense storms are most frequent.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Sensing the Color of Soil for Climate Modeling
The color of soil reflecting the Sun’s rays affects the Earth’s climate and water cycle. Using satellite data that senses many wavelengths improves soil reflectivity estimates, especially in deserts.
Posted inNews
Solar Panels Nurse Desert Soil Back to Life
Cultivating delicate soil crust in the shade of solar panels might boost the recovery of arid land.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
A Unique Glimpse at Sediment Erosion and Deposition by Wind
The Lut Desert in Iran is an exceptional natural laboratory to study how wind moves sediment across the landscape. A new study quantifies erosional and depositional sediment fluxes of the desert.
Posted inNews
Iodine-Laden Desert Dust Is Eating at Ozone Pollution
In a happy accident, scientists found a potential solution to an atmospheric chemistry mystery. Their findings could be a missing piece in the iodine cycle and in atmospheric models.