New research has revealed that significant amounts of excess nitrogen in coastal waters are buried as oyster reefs grow and that some reefs trap more nitrogen than others.
fieldwork
An Off-Road Itinerary
This month, we cover the work of scientists stepping out of their labs and into the field, from rugged lava expanses and volcanic summits to arid ice sheets and lake beds.
Warm Waters Disrupt Seagrasses’ Microbial Environment
Microbial communities in ocean sediments become imbalanced as water temperatures rise, harming seagrass growth, a new study suggests.
Mongolian Mountains Rose When the Crust Bounced Back
A plate folded, the lithosphere sank, and up popped a mountain range.
Eastern Africa Is Splitting Apart, but Not Where We Expected
The Turkana Rift Zone in Kenya entered a critical stage in continental breakup about 4 million years ago.
Sensing the Sounds from Earth’s Hazardous Environments
Low-cost infrasound sensors, deployed in large numbers, provide a practical means of data collection near volcanoes, earthquakes, wildfires, and other geophysical phenomena.
What’s Below the Great Salt Lake? More Water
Pools of fresh water and salt water not far below the lake bed help explain some of the lake’s curious features, including mineral mounds and reed islands.
Distant Cousins? How Field Work on Earth Could Help Us to Better Understand Titan
What do Saturn’s moon Titan and the Earth have in common? Quite a lot as it turns out, from hydrocarbon deposits to polar clouds, lakes and rivers, craters and canyons, and more.
Ancient Maya Wetlands Reveal Settlement That Thrived Amid “Collapse”
A newly excavated site provides evidence that Maya communities migrated from urban areas to rural wetlands during times of intense drought.
Drilling Down to Open Up New Understanding of Earth’s Continents
Scientists have drilled into Earth’s crust for decades to understand natural hazards, past climates, energy resources, and more. They’ve only scratched the surface of what we can learn.
