One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck off the eastern coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula Wednesday morning local time. Initially pegged at a magnitude-8.0, the quake was eventually upgraded to a magnitude-8.8. Adjusted magnitude estimates are not unusual for large earthquakes as more data become available.
Pacific Ocean
Posted inEditors' Vox
Two Equations that Unlock El Niño
Despite the El Niño–Southern Oscillation’s global reach and complex ocean–atmosphere interactions across timescales, two simple, elegant equations capture its key dynamics and defining properties.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
On the Origins of Subantarctic Mode Waters
A modeling study shows how warm subtropical waters and cold Antarctic waters combine to form an Indo-Pacific water mass that plays a key role in Earth’s climate.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Investigating Rainfall-Rich Periods in North America
A record of soil moisture that extends over one thousand years allows for the investigation of occurrence and causes of modern and historical rainfall-rich periods.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Characterizing the Space Between Clouds and Clear Sky
The area near clouds is often classified as ‘clear sky’, but a new study demonstrates the potential biases of misclassifying these transition zones and their significance for Earth’s energy budget.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Three Studies Point to El Niño as Key to 2023 Record Global Heat
Three recent studies reveal how the interplay between El Niño and long-term global warming drove the record-breaking global temperatures of 2023.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
An Atmospheric Pattern Over the Pacific Influences Western U.S. Wildfire Risk
The West Pacific pattern correlates with high pressure, increased temperature, decreased precipitation, and higher burned area during autumn in the western United States.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Aerosols Could Be Weakening Summertime Circulation
Anthropogenic aerosol emissions may be a culprit behind weakening jet streams and weather systems in the Northern Hemisphere.
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
Landslides from the Mw=7.3 17 December 2024 Port Vila Earthquake in Vanuatu
The Landslide Blog is written by Dave Petley, who is widely recognized as a world leader in the study and management of landslides. It has been widely reported that an M=7.3 earthquake struck Vanuatu on 17 December 2024 at 12:47 local time. Wikipedia is referring to this as the Port Vila Earthquake as the epicentre […]
Posted inNews
The North Atlantic Is Getting Saltier
The Atlantic is already the saltiest of Earth’s oceans, and parts of it are getting saltier. Winds and warming may be to blame.