Phys.org: Earth science

Syndicate content
The latest news on earth sciences and the environment
Updated: 3 hours 31 min ago

Scientists unlock recipe for Kryptonite-like mineral that could power a greener future

Wed, 06/11/2025 - 16:34
Scientists from the Natural History Museum have unraveled the geological mysteries behind jadarite, a rare lithium-bearing mineral with the potential to power Europe's green energy transition which, so far, has only been found in one place on Earth, Serbia's Jadar Basin.

Study offers detailed look at winter flooding in California's central valley

Wed, 06/11/2025 - 11:07
California's Central Valley—one of the nation's most critical agricultural regions and home to over 1.3 million people—is prone to flooding. Mapping the extent of winter floods has been challenging for experts, however, because clouds can obscure the view of satellites.

Review uncovers how compound extreme events are becoming a hidden health crisis in China

Tue, 06/10/2025 - 21:00
A review in Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Letters reveals that climate extremes are increasingly striking in combination—and their compounding impact is posing a growing threat to public health across China.

Shipboard cloud observations in the Southern Ocean: Antarctic research cruises toward better climate models

Tue, 06/10/2025 - 16:00
Climate models are essential tools for understanding our planet's future, helping scientists predict global warming patterns, sea level rise, and extreme weather events. These sophisticated computer simulations play a key role in raising awareness about climate change and informing crucial policy decisions. Thus, they can shape our response to environmental challenges over the coming decades.

NASA's TROPICS mission: Offering detailed images and analysis of tropical cyclones

Tue, 06/10/2025 - 16:00
Tropical cyclones represent a danger to life, property, and the economies of communities. Researchers who study tropical cyclones have focused on remote observations, using space-based platforms to image these storms, inform forecasts, better predict landfall, and improve understanding of storm dynamics and precipitation evolution (see fig. 1).

Jarosite: A golden sponge to mop up metals

Tue, 06/10/2025 - 15:27
Jarosite might not sparkle like a gem, but in the world of environmental geochemistry, it's a treasure.

New oil and gas fields incompatible with Paris climate goals

Tue, 06/10/2025 - 13:00
Opening any new North Sea oil and gas fields is incompatible with achieving the Paris Climate Agreement goals of limiting warming to 1.5°C or holding warming to "well below 2°C" relative to preindustrial levels, finds a new report published by UCL academics.

An Alaskan volcano could help scientists understand why 'stealthy' volcanoes erupt without warning

Tue, 06/10/2025 - 04:00
When volcanoes are preparing to erupt, scientists rely on typical signs to warn people living nearby: deformation of the ground and earthquakes, caused by underground chambers filling up with magma and volcanic gas. But some volcanoes, called "stealthy" volcanoes, don't give obvious warning signs. Now scientists studying Veniaminof, Alaska, have developed a model which could explain and predict stealthy eruptions.

Goldilocks conditions for wildfires: Twenty years of data show which areas are most at risk

Mon, 06/09/2025 - 16:34
As the global climate continues to warm, fire seasons have intensified, and large-scale wildfires have become more frequent in many parts of the world. Factors such as vegetation type, land use patterns, and human activity all affect the likelihood of ignition, but wildfire proliferation ultimately depends on two factors: climate and fuel availability.

New machine learning model improves early tsunami warnings

Mon, 06/09/2025 - 15:44
History has a way of repeating itself. But unlike science, built on general principles and testable theories about the natural world, history examines past events and human actions using evidence and interpretation. This delineation is critical when predicting earthquakes and tsunami waves for Canada's west coast, as researchers just don't have the scientific data required to make communities safe—at least not yet—so current calculations are informed by historic natural disasters in faraway places like Japan and Indonesia.

Ocean mud locks up much of the planet's carbon—we're digging deep to map these ancient stores

Mon, 06/09/2025 - 13:40
Mud is messy. For some, it's a plaything. To many, it can mean real hardship. Mud, though, is often overlooked, particularly when it lies out of sight. Deep down at the bottom of the sea, it is one of the most important natural archives of Earth's past—holding clues of shifting climates, coastlines, ocean conditions and carbon storage.

AMOC decline linked to increased dry season rainfall in parts of the Amazon rainforest

Mon, 06/09/2025 - 13:29
New research led by IIASA reveals a surprising link between two major climate-tipping elements: the Southern Amazon rainforest and the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). While the study finds that a weakening AMOC may buffer dry season rainfall loss in the Amazon, it also highlights the urgent need to reduce emissions as broader climate risks continue to escalate.

Lawn story: Turfgrass data may improve urban greenhouse gas emission estimates

Mon, 06/09/2025 - 13:20
Data that has been lost in the weeds—or more accurately the turfgrass—could help improve estimates of carbon dioxide emissions from urban areas, according to a team led by scientists at Penn State.

California tsunami: Here's where damage and casualties could be the worst

Mon, 06/09/2025 - 10:51
Tsunamis pose a risk to the entire California coast. But should a major one strike, how bad could it be?

Hurricanes stir deep ocean layers, bringing nutrients and low-oxygen zones to surface, study finds

Sat, 06/07/2025 - 10:26
With careful planning and a little luck, researchers found a surprising upside to hurricanes after a Category 4 storm disrupted their expedition off the coast of Mexico.

Methane leaks from dormant oil and gas wells in Canada are seven times worse than thought, study suggests

Fri, 06/06/2025 - 16:30
Methane emissions from Canada's non-producing oil and gas wells appear to be seven times higher than government estimates, according to a new study led by researchers at McGill University. The findings spotlight a major gap in the country's official greenhouse gas inventory and raise urgent questions about how methane leaks are monitored, reported and managed.

Antarctic atmospheric rivers, supercharged by climate change, expected to double by 2100

Fri, 06/06/2025 - 16:23
Antarctica could see a doubling of extreme weather events—such as atmospheric rivers—by 2100, with implications for future sea level rise.

Sediment cores from Pacific Highs reveal 100 million years of environmental change

Fri, 06/06/2025 - 16:16
Deep sea sediments contain treasure troves of information about marine ecosystems and past climate scenarios, yet remain understudied clues into Earth's environmental future, according to researchers.

Lighting a new way to predict earthquakes: Laboratory model links fault contact area to earthquake occurrences

Fri, 06/06/2025 - 16:00
Researchers have developed a laboratory earthquake model that connects the microscopic real contact area between fault surfaces to the possibility of earthquake occurrences. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, this breakthrough demonstrates the connection between microscopic friction and earthquakes, offering new insights into earthquake mechanics and potential prediction.

Aged dust particles act as 'chemical reactors in sky' to drive air pollution, study finds

Fri, 06/06/2025 - 15:54
Dust particles thrown up from deserts such as the Sahara and Gobi are playing a previously unknown role in air pollution, a new study has found.

Theme by Danetsoft and Danang Probo Sayekti inspired by Maksimer