Following fires that ravaged the island in 2023, researchers educated residents about how wildfires affect water quality, and gathered data to determine how wildfire impacts change over time.
Earth science
Posted inNews
Buried Tree Stumps Show Shoreline Shifts of the Outer Banks
Storms are unburying centuries-old stumps on North Carolina’s barrier islands. Researchers hope these long-gone forests can help land managers plan for the future.
Posted inNews
Mantle Motion Matters for Mapping Modern (and Ancient) Ice
Mantle motions have major effects on topography and the distribution of ice sheets. The motions are key for researchers trying to properly parse past mantle movement.
Posted inNews
Another Hot Arctic Year Indicates a New Climate Regime
NOAA’s annual Arctic Report Card illustrates a warmer, wetter, and increasingly wonky Arctic climate.
Posted inNews
Millions in India Vulnerable to Glacial Lake Floods
Climate change–driven factors make regions more vulnerable to glacial lake outburst floods.
Posted inNews
Cover Cropping May Not Be Cash Crop Panacea
Intended to improve soil health, these crops are also associated with moisture depletion at shallow depths, which significantly impacts cash crop yields in arid regions.
Posted inNews
Snowmelt Sends Caribou Packing
Researchers compared caribou tracking data with satellite observations to learn whether snowpack conditions trigger the animals’ arduous annual migration.
Posted inNews
Arctic Beavers Advance North and Accelerate Permafrost Thaw
As beavers build dams in new areas, they impound water, warming permafrost adjacent to their ponds.
Posted inNews
As Seas Rise, Marshes May Still Trap Carbon—and Cool the Planet
Rising seas spell doom for coastal wetlands trapping carbon—or do they? New research reveals that as these ecosystems transition, they can still trap carbon and possibly cool the planet.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Core Movements Could Be Causing Tiny Shifts in Earth’s Spin Speed
Researchers use ancient eclipse data and new machine learning techniques to understand what processes changed the length of Earth’s days over the past 3,000 years.