Researchers used new techniques to more precisely estimate ground elevations on Mars, producing a refined resolution map for rover landings.
landscape & topography
Posted inFeatures
Here’s How Artemis Astronauts Will Navigate on the Moon
The next wave of lunar explorers is headed to terrain that promises to be both stunning and challenging. Here’s how they’ll cope with some of the difficulties they’ll encounter.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Revealing a Catchment’s Erosional Secrets: Grain Size Matters
A provenance study with 699 new samples from 12 different sediment grain sizes (from sand to boulder) shows that each fraction originates from distinct parts of a mountain catchment in California.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Carbon Dioxide’s Effect on Mountain Climate Systems
Greenhouse gases are rising in the atmosphere. But how will precipitation patterns change as climate systems rise over mountain chains?
Posted inENGAGE, News
Five Martian Mysteries That Have Scientists Scratching Their Heads
Despite centuries of study and many spacecraft visits, the Red Planet still holds secrets. Here are just a few.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Desert Landscape Evolution Controlled by Storm Intensity
A new study in the Negev Desert finds that long-term erosion of a desert escarpment occurs in drier areas where intense storms are most frequent.
Posted inNews
Where the Ground Gives Way
Sinkholes are a significant hazard, but where are they most likely to happen? A new study identifies hot spots in the contiguous United States.
Posted inNews
Groundwater Pumping Is Causing Mexico City to Sink
Researchers say knowing how much water is being extracted is crucial for addressing infrastructure and water supply crises in the capital.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Inductive Approach Reveals Controls on Dissolved Organic Carbon
Machine learning leverages large data sets to reveal hidden patterns explaining when, where, and why dissolved organic carbon moves from hillslopes to streams.
Posted inNews
The Western Great Basin Has an Arsenic Problem—Blame Its Geology
A new study links geological factors such as faulting and geothermal activity to an elevated risk of arsenic contamination in private wells across the Great Basin.