NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft discovered electric currents in Mercury's magnetosphere directed toward and away from the planet. Do the currents reach the planet? If so, where do they go?
Geophysical Research Letters
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Unusual Echo Signal in Atmospheric E Layer
Metallic plasma layers in Earth's ionosphere interfere with radio communications and produce odd echo behavior at specific frequencies.
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Seismic Stress Modeling Puts Istanbul in the Crosshairs
Twenty years of ground motion observations show that seismic strain is accumulating south of Istanbul.
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What Drove Sea Surface Temperature Change During the Pleistocene?
New information suggests that atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration was just one of the main drivers of warming sea surface temperatures in the Pleistocene.
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"Knobby Terrain" a Sign of Mars's Explosive Past
Newly identified knobby terrain related to ancient volcanoes on Mars hint that pyroclastic ash and rock flowed down slopes early in the red planet's history.
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Changing Patterns in U.S. Air Quality
Over the northeast United States, ground-level ozone will peak in the winter rather than the summer thanks to continued reductions of regional nitrogen oxide emissions from smokestacks and tailpipes.
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Tracking Down a Subduction Zone Earthquake
Researchers use computer simulations to find the date and earthquake source of an ancient tsunami that deposited sediment in a Hawaii sinkhole.
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Microbial Activity in Dry Soils
Researchers investigate how microbes respire in dry conditions.
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Wave Energy Affects the Surf Zone Heat Budget
A study of water temperature in nearshore environments shows that wave energy was the second-largest driver of temperature changes in the surf zone.
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Seismic Wave Modeling Goes Local
A new technique brings accurate models of traveling seismic waves to a regional scale.