Phys.org: Earth science

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The latest news on earth sciences and the environment
Updated: 1 day 13 hours ago

AI model reveals hidden earthquake swarms and faults in Italy's Campi Flegrei

Thu, 09/04/2025 - 18:00
Scientists are using artificial intelligence to understand escalating unrest in Italy's Campi Flegrei, a volcanic area that is home to hundreds of thousands of people.

Human impact on the ocean will double by 2050, scientists warn

Thu, 09/04/2025 - 18:00
The seas have long sustained human life, but a new UC Santa Barbara study shows that rising climate and human pressures are pushing the oceans toward a dangerous threshold.

Microfluidics suggest hydrophilic surfaces retain more oil than hydrophobic ones for groundwater remediation

Thu, 09/04/2025 - 17:20
Dr. Seunghak Lee, Jaeshik Chung, and Sang Hyun Kim of the Water Resources Cycle Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) observed how oil and water interact in porous media under various conditions using a microfluidic system that allows precise observation of microscopic fluid flows.

Oxygen came late to ocean depths during Paleozoic, isotope analysis reveals

Thu, 09/04/2025 - 16:27
The explosion of animal life in Earth's oceans half a billion years ago during and after the Cambrian Period is commonly attributed to a substantial and sustained rise of free oxygen (O2) in seawater. Some researchers even argue for near-modern levels of ocean oxygenation at this time.

Iron-laden fluids drive abiotic organic synthesis in dolomitic marble, offering insight into origin of early life

Thu, 09/04/2025 - 16:10
Abiotic organic synthesis during geological processes has long drawn scientific interest, as it is believed to have laid both the material and energetic groundwork for the emergence of early life on Earth.

Observation-informed deep learning cuts ENSO projection uncertainty

Thu, 09/04/2025 - 16:02
El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the strongest interannual variability signal in Earth's climate system. The shifts between its warm and cold phases profoundly impact global extreme weather, ecosystems, and economic development. However, current climate models show large discrepancies in their future projections of ENSO sea surface temperature (SST) variability.

New method to pinpoint soil erosion could help protect waterways

Thu, 09/04/2025 - 13:31
Cranfield University experts have developed a new method to precisely identify soil erosion hotspots along waterways, allowing for preemptive mitigation measures to be put in place that protect land and water systems.

The hidden chemistry of Earth's core is revealed by how it froze

Thu, 09/04/2025 - 09:00
A study by researchers at the University of Oxford, University of Leeds, and University College London has identified a new constraint on the chemistry of Earth's core, by showing how it was able to crystallize millions of years ago. The study is published in Nature Communications.

Decades of data show African weather disturbances intensify during La Niña

Wed, 09/03/2025 - 18:41
A recent study reveals how a major global climate pattern influences the African weather systems that help seed Atlantic hurricanes. The findings, published in the Journal of Climate, could lead to better seasonal forecasts of rainfall, drought, and tropical cyclone activity across the Atlantic basin.

The growing threat of vast ravines swallowing streets and homes

Wed, 09/03/2025 - 18:10
Deep, gigantic cracks in the Earth known as gullies are tearing through African cities, swallowing up houses and streets, destroying infrastructure and displacing tens of thousands of people. Left unchecked, this new geological hazard could force millions of people to abandon their homes in the coming decades.

Soot's climate-altering properties change within hours of entering atmosphere

Wed, 09/03/2025 - 17:25
Billions upon billions of soot particles enter Earth's atmosphere each second, totaling about 5.8 million metric tons a year—posing a climate-warming impact previously estimated at almost one-third that of carbon dioxide.

Earth system models' inaccurate gross primary productivity simulations threaten land carbon uptake estimates

Wed, 09/03/2025 - 16:18
Terrestrial ecosystems, vital for absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide to mitigate climate change, rely on Earth system models (ESMs) for estimating carbon uptake—a cornerstone of climate policy, carbon budgeting and land management strategies. Yet new research from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) reveals critical flaws in how these models represent a key metric of carbon absorption, raising concerns about the reliability of long-term climate projections.

Sensors reveal surprising drop in methane emissions after flooding in coastal wetlands

Wed, 09/03/2025 - 16:03
University of Toledo environmental researchers trooped through the woods and wetlands of the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge for a week in early June. Their mission? To outfit an approximately 16-acre site with nearly 300 sensors that will constantly monitor a slew of metrics related to the soil, water and plants, including the flow of sap through trees.

New modeling indicates 100-year-old geological theory on the Himalayas may have been wrong all along

Wed, 09/03/2025 - 15:20
For the last century, Émile Argand's theory on the formation and geological support system of the massive Himalayan mountain range has remained the predominant explanation widely accepted among geologists. This theory states that the ongoing collision of the Indian and Asian continental plates forced the crusts of the two plates to double in thickness and that this ultra-thick crust alone holds up the region's mountains, which were formed from these colliding structures.

Safe underground carbon storage would only reduce warming by 0.7°C, analysis finds

Wed, 09/03/2025 - 15:00
For the first time, a study maps safe areas that can practically be used for underground carbon storage, and estimates that using them all would only cut warming by 0.7°C. The result is almost ten times lower than previous estimates of around 6°C, which considered the total global potential for geological storage, including in risky zones, where storing carbon could trigger earthquakes and contaminate drinking water supplies. The researchers say the study shows that geological storage is a scarce, finite resource, and warn that countries must use it in a highly targeted way.

Desert soils can emit greenhouse gases in minutes—even without microbes

Wed, 09/03/2025 - 14:28
A study from researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev reveals that desert soils can emit powerful greenhouse gases within minutes of being wetted—even in the absence of microbial life.

'Major floods and droughts every 15 years': AI forecasts a crisis for Pakistan

Wed, 09/03/2025 - 14:25
A new study led by Professor Jonghun Kam's team at POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology) has uncovered a shocking forecast for Pakistan's future. Using a cutting-edge AI model, the research predicts that the country will face unprecedented "super floods" and "extreme droughts" on a periodic basis.

Global methane levels continue rising as trade and developing regions fuel growth

Wed, 09/03/2025 - 12:54
The world's methane emissions continue to rise steadily with no signs of slowing, as global trade contributes some 30% to the total amount of the greenhouse gas swirling around the planet, a new study reveals.

Ancient rocks reveal continent-breaking forces and critical mineral origins

Wed, 09/03/2025 - 11:02
Rare rocks buried deep beneath central Australia have revealed the origins of one of the world's most promising new deposits of niobium—a metal vital for producing high-strength steel and clean energy technologies—and how it formed during the breakup of an ancient supercontinent.

New dataset enhances understanding of atmosphere–surface interactions

Tue, 09/02/2025 - 20:30
A research team led by Prof. Chen Cheng from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has retrieved global aerosol and surface properties using advanced polarization data from China's GF-5(02) satellite.

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