Some shallow seafloor depressions off the coast of Germany that look like those associated with methane might instead be the work of porpoises.
sediments
New Tracers of Wind Erosion Provide Insight into Dryland Vegetation
Rare earth element tracers provide insight into how fire and wind transport influence the vegetation state of the world’s drylands.
How Good a Recycler is the Himalaya?
Researchers use sediment recycling to their advantage to calculate how fast the hills at the front of the Himalaya are eroding based on the concentration of rare elements in river sands.
River Damming: How it Harms Fish and What Can Be Done
The severe impacts of river damming on fish habitats have aroused widespread attention, prompting major conservation measures to help mitigate these negative effects.
Modeling Braided Rivers in Presence of Exotic Weeds and Dams
Numerical modeling can help with identifying the combined effects of weed growth, flood frequency, and magnitude on gravel bed rivers.
Flash Floods May Support One of the World’s Rarest Fish
Only a few hundred Devils Hole pupfish live in an isolated pool in the desert, where occasional floodwaters roil their habitat.
Beavers Have Engineered Ecosystems in the Tetons for Millennia
Analysis of lake sediment in Grand Teton National Park is helping piece together ecosystem history, with helpful implications for land managers today.
Mammal Droppings Preserve Human and Climate History on the Tibetan Plateau
Geochemical signatures in sediment, which includes organic molecules from human and animal poop, help scientists track the rise and fall of the Tibetan Empire.
Microbe Goo Could Help Guide the Search for Life on Mars
Sticky substances secreted by microbes may help create landforms on Earth. And new research shows that these substances are more preserved in iron-rich sediment. Mars is decidedly iron-rich (it’s the Red Planet, after all), so the new study adds to evidence that microbe goo could help researchers explain landform creation there. “I think this is […]
Here’s How Artemis Astronauts Will Navigate on the Moon
The next wave of lunar explorers is headed to terrain that promises to be both stunning and challenging. Here’s how they’ll cope with some of the difficulties they’ll encounter.