Phys.org: Earth science

The exchange of water and heat between Earth and its atmosphere determines climate zones and ecosystems, which in turn influence where essential human activities take place.

Warming may lead to less frequent but bigger and more devastating hail storms, new research has shown.

Beneath our feet, an invisible world of electron exchanges quietly drives the chemistry that sustains ecosystems, controls water quality, and even determines the fate of pollutants.

Powerful pulses of groundwater flow up from beneath Lakes Michigan and Huron, which together form one of the largest freshwater systems in the world. This groundwater flux may dramatically alter how and where ice forms, with important implications for ice-climate models. As climate change pressures the system, new research suggests that conventional models may underestimate how groundwater can destabilize lake ice along its shorelines (coasts).

Salt intrusion is a growing concern worldwide. Eleonora Saccon, who completed a master's degree in climate change ecology in her native Italy, studied the effects of salty surface water at the NIOZ branch in Zeeland.