Concrete, used in everything from streets to skyscrapers, needs sand, often mined from active rivers in developing countries with little oversight. Researchers can now use satellites to keep watch.
sand
Posted inNews
Dunes Dance to a New Rhythm in Climate Change
Dunes may morph or creep in new directions in a warming world.
Posted inScience Updates
Earth’s Continents Share an Ancient Crustal Ancestor
How did today’s continents come to be? Geological sleuths found clues in grains of sand.
Posted inNews
To Protect the World’s Sand, We Need to Know How to Measure It
New research provides a more accurate model that coastal managers and engineers can use to account for sand transport over time.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Microbial Mechanisms Change with the Seasons
Microbes living in the sand on a barrier island alter the way they break down organic matter as their environment changes throughout the year, which has implications for the surrounding water column.
Posted inNews
Shells Sound Out Sand’s Acoustic Signatures
Shell remains give sand from different locations unique acoustic signatures.
Posted inNews
Gravel Gives Clues to the Strength of Paleotsunamis
The roundness of sediment deposits may shed light on how big tsunamis were in the past and how to evaluate hazards in the future.
Posted inNews
Sand from Greenland’s Melting Ice Sheet Could Bring in Business
The effects of climate change could fuel a new sand mining industry in Greenland.