Weathering of rocks can control Earth’s temperature over geologic timescales, new geochemical data suggest.
geochemistry
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Detecting Gas Leaks with Autonomous Underwater Vehicles
A Norwegian team develops an improved, cost-effective method to detect chemical discharges under the sea.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Tiny Particles with Big Impact on Global Climate
A recent paper in Reviews of Geophysics suggests that new understandings of secondary organic aerosol may require a rethinking of atmospheric chemistry-climate models.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
New Technique Could Help Scientists Track Nitrous Oxide Sources
A long-term study in Switzerland reveals the promise of a new method to determine isotopic composition of the potent greenhouse gas.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Tracing Water Through the Critical Zone
The authors of a recent paper in Reviews of Geophysics describe how isotope hydrology offers new insights into interactions at the interface between soil, vegetation, and the atmosphere.
Posted inNews
A Volcanic Trigger for Earth’s First Mass Extinction?
Abnormally high levels of mercury in Ordovician rocks may imply that a huge surge of volcanism took place at a time when much of the planet’s ocean life vanished.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
What’s the Average Methane Isotope Signature in Arctic Wetlands?
Aircraft measurements confirm that methane emissions from northern European wetlands exhibit a uniform regional carbon isotopic signature, despite considerable ground-level heterogeneity.
Posted inNews
Gerald J. Wasserburg (1927–2016)
A leading geochemist who became well known for creating the first high-precision mass spectrometer, called Lunatic I, that measured isotope ratios in lunar samples from the Apollo missions.
Posted inNews
Tsunamis Leave a Telltale Chemical Trail
Researchers follow a trail of organic compounds in soil that reveals the 2011 Tohoku tsunami's path over the Japanese coastline, providing clues to how often tsunamis recur and where they travel.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Measurements and Models of Reactive Transport in Geological Media
Author Brian Berkowitz answers questions about his recently published article and the scientific and societal implications of his findings.