A hypothetical, space weather–induced power grid catastrophe served as a practice case for building unity and collaborative skills among disparate communities to address a major global hazard.
electricity
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Radar Diagnosis of the Thundercloud Electron Accelerator
Altitude-resolved S-band radar observations of graupel are used to decipher thunderstorm ground enhancements in surface electric field and gamma ray flux.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Lightning Had Difficulty Forming in Early Earth’s Atmosphere
Lightning could have sparked the beginnings of life, but the primordial atmosphere might have made it more difficult for lightning to initiate.
Posted inNews
Extracting Rare Earth Elements from Waste with a Flash of Heat
A method called flash Joule heating could offer a more sustainable way to source essential components of electronics from coal fly ash.
Posted inNews
The Bumpy Search for Liquid Water at the South Pole of Mars
Studies since 2018 have provided competing explanations of bright radar reflections from the base of the south polar ice cap.
Posted inAGU News
Nicoll Receives 2020 Atmospheric and Space Electricity Early Career Award
Keri Nicoll received the 2020 Atmospheric and Space Electricity Early Career Award at AGU’s virtual Fall Meeting 2020. The award recognizes “significant contributions to atmospheric and space electricity science from honorees within 10 years of receiving their Ph.D. degree.”
Posted inFeatures
Rayos Planetarios: Misma Física, Mundos Distantes
Un rayo en el planeta Tierra necesita sólo algunos simples ingredientes para generar una chispa. Esos ingredientes existen en todo el sistema solar y más allá.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Is Space Weather Worse by the Sea?
A new simulation of space-weather driven geoelectric fields at the land/sea conductivity boundary shows how these fields are magnified by both coastal effects and inhomogeneous land conductivity.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Globally Variable Water Content in the Mantle Transition Zone
Using electromagnetic waves originating in the ionosphere and magnetosphere, conductivity profiles reaching the deep upper mantle show surprising variability in water content.
Posted inFeatures
Planetary Lightning: Same Physics, Distant Worlds
Lightning on Earth needs just a few simple ingredients to generate a spark. Those ingredients exist throughout the solar system and beyond.