Granular sea ice needs to be twice as porous as columnar ice to allow water to flow through it—up to 10% brine by volume.
geophysics
The Fiery Tornadoes That Could Mop Up Oil Spills
More than 15 years after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, researchers are still searching for new ways to tackle disastrous spills. Some are looking to flaming twisters.
Where Was Baltica 616 Million Years Ago?
Disentangling magnetic signals in its ancient rocks gives an updated view of the paleocontinent’s position during the Ediacaran period.
As Ice Recedes and Land Rebounds, Antarctica’s Mineral Resources Come into Focus
Melting ice, rebounding land, and rising seas will change what resources are available in Antarctica, a new analysis finds.
What do BLOBs Have to Do with Earth’s Magnetic Field? A Lot, It Turns Out
Enormous provinces of superheated mantle exert a powerful influence over our planet’s magnetic field, researchers have discovered.
Scientists Create the First Map of Deep Earthquakes Beneath Continents
Scientists once thought Earth’s continental mantle was too weak for earthquakes. A new global map of 459 deep tremors suggests otherwise.
The Land Beneath Antarctica’s Ice Might Be Full of Water
Seismic surveys hint at the extent of a potential groundwater system in the White Continent.
When Cascadia Gives Way, the San Andreas Sometimes Follows
Roughly half of the earthquakes that occurred along the southern Cascadia subduction zone over the past 3,000 years were temporally associated with earthquakes along the northern San Andreas fault.
Scientists Tune In to the Ocean’s Sound Waves
A new technique detects inaudible acoustic signals from crashing waves, opening up possibilities for monitoring sea and atmospheric conditions from shore.
Zircon Crystals Could Reveal Earth’s Path Among the Stars
Researchers found signs of melting in zircon crystals in the crust that correspond to our planet’s journey through the galaxy’s spiral arms.
