Wildfires affect watersheds in myriad ways, from reducing evapotranspiration to changing soil repellencies, but new research suggests impacts on snowpack and runoff are the most significant.
erosion & weathering
Posted inEditors' Vox
Invasive Species Drive Erosion in Aquatic Environments
The daily activities of mammals, reptiles, crustaceans, and fish influence the physical environment, with invasive burrowing species causing particular disruption in aquatic environments.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Answer to California Landscape Riddle Lies Underground
Scientists link vegetation mosaics in California to patterns of weathered bedrock.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Detecting Carbonates on the Surface of Mars
A new study shows how a warm, wet climate weathered rocks on early Mars.
Posted inNews
Asteroid Visited by Mission Spews Rocks into Space
Mission scientists observed 11 separate particle ejection events in a 1-month period. They are still trying to figure out what could be causing the particle plumes.
Posted inNews
Varying Impact of Earthquake- and Monsoon-Induced Landslides
Using nearly 50 years of satellite data and records stretching back millennia, scientists determine the relative frequency—and the erosional power—of monsoon- and earthquake-induced landslides in Nepal.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
The Unpredictability of Floods, Erosion, and Channel Migration
A new algorithm incorporates randomness into stream channel formation and suggests the approach represents regions with variable flood magnitudes better than standard models.
Posted inScience Updates
Updates on Understanding Mars’s Recent and Present-Day Climate
Mars Workshop on Amazonian and Present-day Climate; Lakewood, Colorado, 18–22 June 2018
Posted inGeoFIZZ
Self-Guided Tour of the Geology in D. C. Buildings
The architecture of the nation’s capital reveals a secret geologic history—take a walking tour to spot the interesting fossils and minerals in the stones used to build the halls of power.
Posted inNews
Glacial Lake Outburst Flood Captured in Seismic Recordings
A flood that thundered through eastern Nepal in July 2016 left a telltale seismic signature and caused more erosion than local monsoon rains, new research shows.