Small variations in clumped O2 isotopes reflect temperatures in the upper troposphere. Bubbles measured in polar ice cores show the global lapse-rate appears to steepen during the Last Glacial Maximum.
paleoclimatology & paleoceanography
Posted inNews
Martian Glaciers May Have Carved Its Valleys
Networks of valleys provide puzzling hints of running water on the surface of the Red Planet. New research suggests that some tributaries could have formed from icy sheets thousands of meters thick.
Posted inNews
A Spike in Wildfires Contributed to the End-Permian Extinction
An upward trend in fossilized charcoal indicates that wildfires may have contributed to extinctions during the Great Dying.
Posted inNews
Stretching Crust Explains Earth’s 170,000-Year-Long Heat Wave
During a brief period in Earth’s past, a massive emission of carbon abruptly raised global temperatures, acidified oceans, and stamped out species. New data may help explain how it happened.
Posted inNews
Satellite Images Reveal a New View of Ancient Earth’s Rivers
A new method shows a key relationship between the width and makeup of Earth’s river channels over time. The technique could be applied to other terrestrial bodies, such as Mars.
Posted inNews
Seashells and Penguin Bones Reveal Thwaites Glacier’s Quiet Past
Antarctica’s Thwaites and Pine Island Glaciers are melting faster than they have in the past 5,500 years, new evidence shows. Against expectations, their pasts have been remarkably stable.
Posted inFeatures
Lina C. Pérez-Ángel: Proud to Study Paleoclimate in Colombia
As a young Latina, Pérez-Ángel brings a fresh perspective to paleoclimatology.
Posted inFeatures
Lauren Haygood: Normalizing STEM in America’s Heartland
Community science builds bridges while generating valuable environmental data.
Posted inNews
Precession Helped Drive Glacial Cycles in the Pleistocene
By studying bits of rock scooped up by ancient glaciers, researchers have pinned down that recent glacial variability was driven, in part, by changes in the direction of Earth’s axis of rotation.
Posted inScience Updates
“Landslide Graveyard” Holds Clues to Long-Term Tsunami Trends
A new project looks to unearth information about and learn from ancient underwater landslides buried deep beneath the seafloor to support New Zealand’s resilience to natural hazards.