Simulations from a new lake model explain how liquid water could have been maintained over Mars in a cold climate, thus resolving a critical scientific gap in our understanding of Mars’ early history.
paleoclimatology & paleoceanography
How a Move to the Shallows 300,000 Years Ago Drove a Phytoplankton Bloom
And what that could mean for today’s ocean.
Preserving Corals to Study the Past and Document the Present
Corals hold valuable hints about our planet’s climate history, and they’re continuing to document today’s changing ocean. Scientists are working to preserve and protect these reefs of evidence.
The Long and the Weak of It—The Ediacaran Magnetic Field
A roughly 70-million-year interval of anomalously weak magnetic field during the Ediacaran period could have triggered atmospheric changes that supported the rise of macroscopic life.
New Lessons from Old Ice: How We Understand Past (and Future) Heating
Fragments of blue ice up to 6 million years old—the oldest ever found—offer key insights into Earth’s warming cycles. Researchers are using these ancient data to refine models of our future climate.
Ocean Tunneling May Have Set Off an Ancient Pacific Cooldown
The ocean’s depths cooled off about 1.5 million years ago, and scientists think watery tunnels from the south may be to blame.
Pamir Glacier Expedition Returns with High-Elevation Ice Cores
The three glacial cores will unlock mysteries about past climate and weather patterns in central Asia.
Grandes Sequias Coincidieron con el Colapso Maya Clásico
El entendimiento de cómo las ciudades individuales respondieron al estrés climático ayudará a crear imágenes holísticas de cómo estas sociedades funcionaban.
Earth System Engineers Take Planetary Alterations to Extreme Scales
A new framework argues Earth scientists should employ the concept of ecosystem engineering across geologic time and space.
