Phys.org: Earth science

Scientists have discovered hundreds of giant sand bodies beneath the North Sea that appear to defy fundamental geological principles and could have important implications for energy and carbon storage.

Some species of fig trees store calcium carbonate in their trunks—essentially turning themselves (partially) into stone, new research has found. The team of Kenyan, U.S., Austrian, and Swiss scientists found that the trees could draw carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and store it as calcium carbonate 'rocks' in the surrounding soil.

For years, scientists have debated whether a giant thick ice shelf once covered the entire Arctic Ocean during the coldest ice ages. Now, a new study published in Science Advances challenges this idea as the research team found no evidence for the presence of a massive ~1km ice shelf. Instead, the Arctic Ocean appears to have been covered by seasonal sea ice—leaving open water and life-sustaining conditions even during the harshest periods of cold periods during the last 750,000 years.

Rising rural populations, drought and climate change are making water scarcity a problem in country townships—with more efficient handling of sewage system wastewater part of the solution.

The peer-reviewed study, "The Earth4All scenarios: Human well-being on a finite planet towards 2100," uses a system dynamics-based modeling approach to explore two future scenarios: Too Little Too Late, and the Giant Leap. The model presented in the paper provides the scientific basis for the analysis and policy recommendations of Earth for All: A Survival Guide for Humanity, published in 2022.

Understanding where and in what quantities essential elements for life have existed on Earth's surface helps explain the origin and evolution of life. Phosphorus is one such element, forming the backbone of DNA, RNA, and cellular membranes.

On March 28, 2025, a major earthquake with a moment magnitude (Mw) of 7.7 struck Mandalay, central Myanmar (referred to as the 2025 Myanmar earthquake). This event caused severe shaking and substantial damage in Myanmar and neighboring countries. Aftershock distribution extended southward from the epicenter, indicating predominant southward rupture propagation.

Tsunami earthquakes are characterized by the generation of disproportionately large tsunamis relative to the observed ground shaking, complicating timely evacuation efforts. Understanding their generation mechanisms and associated risks is therefore critical.

Scientists have found evidence that the Asian continent was free of permafrost all the way to its northerly coast with the Arctic Ocean when Earth's average temperature was 4.5˚C warmer than today, suggesting that the whole Northern Hemisphere would have also been free of permafrost at the time.

University of Leicester-led research has revealed the start of industrial deforestation of the Malaysian rainforest and its long-lasting impact on coastal ecosystems in the skeletons of corals.

Ship traffic in shallow areas, such as ports, can trigger large methane emissions by just moving through the water. Researchers in a study, led by Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, observed 20 times higher methane emissions in the shipping lane compared to nearby undisturbed areas.

Geologists from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) have made a breakthrough in understanding how Earth's early continents formed during the Archean time, more than 2.5 billion years ago. Their findings, recently published in Science Advances, suggest that early continental crust likely formed through deep Earth processes called mantle plumes, rather than the plate tectonics that shape continents today.

Floods are some of the most devastating natural disasters communities in the United States face, causing billions of dollars of damage annually, according to the National Weather Service. A group, including several researchers at Penn State, recently developed a computational model to streamline flood prediction in the continental United States.

About 600 miles off the west coast of Africa, large clusters of thunderstorms begin organizing into tropical storms every hurricane season. They aren't yet in range of Hurricane Hunter flights, so forecasters at the National Hurricane Center rely on weather satellites to peer down on these storms and beam back information about their location, structure and intensity.

An international study has revealed how continental collisions may have supercharged the Earth's richest deposits of copper, a metal critical for clean energy technologies and global infrastructure.

On 28 November 1966, an American airplane flies over the Antarctic Peninsula just south of the southernmost tip of Chile. On board is a photographer, probably from the U.S. Navy, whose job is to map the Antarctic landscape. But it turns out that the photographer is also documenting a very special situation that is in progress. He shoots an aerial photo of the Wordie Ice Shelf, which, 30 years later, has almost vanished after a total collapse.

Deep below the surface of the ocean, bacteria and critters that feed off nutrients spouting from hydrothermal vents met with a sudden wave of volcanic sediment, leaving them suffocated.

Compared to single-channel meandering rivers, multichannel braided rivers are often found in environments with sparse vegetation and coarse, shifting bars of sediment. Past research has called the way in which the paths of braided rivers shift over time "chaotic" because their migration depends on many factors, including river shape and changing water levels.

Young forests regrowing from land where mature woodlands have been cut down have a key role to play in removing billions of tons of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and combating climate change, a new study reveals.

A new study led by a University of California, Irvine scientist reveals that airlines can make smarter tradeoff decisions to cut aviation's warming impact. The research, published in the journal Nature, offers hopeful news for the future of air travel and climate action.