After comparing the climatic conditions at dozens of glaciers worldwide, researchers find that precipitation, not temperature, is the leading environmental factor driving glacial erosion.
erosion & weathering
Posted inNews
A Dirty Truth: Humans Began Accelerating Soil Erosion 4,000 Years Ago
Recent research combining analysis of carbon dating, sediment accumulation rates, and pollen records from 632 lake beds worldwide finds deforestation tied to increased soil erosion.
Posted inFeatures
Will Earth’s Grandest Canyon Keep Getting Grander?
Living in Geologic Time: Rafting through the past, present, and future of the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon.
Posted inNews
Wildfires Affect Water Resources Long After the Smoke Clears
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.
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.