It depends on where, when, and how.
North America
Posted inFeatures
New Insights into North America’s Midcontinent Rift
The Midcontinent Rift has characteristics of a large igneous province, causing geologists to rethink some long-standing assumptions about how this giant feature formed.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Novel Technique Finds New Features Under United States
A new high-fidelity tomography harnesses USArray data to expose a wealth of noteworthy crustal and upper mantle structures, including previously unknown anomalies beneath the Appalachians.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Variable Mantle Lies Below Ancient Pieces of Earth's Crust
Underneath old and stable pieces of Earth's crust in North America, the mantle's uppermost portion contains multiple layers that change the velocities of seismic waves.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Bark Beetles Cause Big Tree Die-Offs, but Streams Flow Steadily
Recent beetle epidemics have driven tree die-offs across North America, and previous studies predicted an increase in annual streamflow would follow—but a new study shows this may not be the case.
Posted inScience Updates
The North American Monsoon: Models Versus Observations
Third Annual Regional Climatology and Meteorology Meeting for Northwest Mexico; Mexico City, Mexico, 4–5 June 2015
Posted inScience Updates
Integrating Carbon Cycle Research into Decision-Making Processes
North American Carbon Program Principal Investigators Meeting; Washington, D. C., 26–29 January 2015
Posted inScience Updates
Small Rivers Could Have Big Impact on Arctic Ocean
The Mackenzie River carries the bulk of freshwater flow from North America's tundra to the North Atlantic. But what about the effects of smaller rivers from Canada's Arctic islands?
Posted inNews
Warmer Climate Could Aid Quebec's Wine Industry
By 2050, climate change may make regions of northeastern Canada suitable for growing new varieties of wine grapes.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Survey Shows Where Arctic Marine Bird Populations Thrive
"Hot spots" of species richness currently include the Bering Sea, Lancaster Sound, Baffin Bay, and Davis Strait. Will this change as sea ice melts?