Phys.org: Earth science

Waves of higher, warmer water move eastward across the Pacific Ocean a few months before an El Niño emerges. Several have shown up in 2026 satellite data.

Earth was mostly devoid of oxygen for much of its 4.5 billion year lifetime. That is, until certain processes started to allow for the eventual buildup of oxygen up to the levels we have now (around 21% of the atmosphere). While scientists have found evidence of the approximate timescales of rises in oxygen over time and are aware of some of the mechanisms behind it, the main driver behind Earth's long-term oxygenation is still unclear.

The volcano on Indonesia's Halmahera Island routinely ejects ash, volcanic gases, and volcanic bombs. In May 2026, the Global Volcanism Program reported nine actively erupting volcanoes in Indonesia—more than any other country at the time. Such activity is typical for the Southeast Asian archipelago, where eruptions have occurred at 55 volcanoes since the 1960s—the highest total for any country. Japan ranks second with eruptions at 40 volcanoes over that time period, followed by the United States with 39, according to Global Volcanism Program data.

From the Kleines Nesthorn to Pizzo Cengalo, the Alps appear to be crumbling. Permafrost researcher Robert Kenner has penned a summary explaining the role that thawing permafrost and melting glaciers play—or don't play—in this process.

Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf and the West Antarctic Ice Sheet may have been far smaller during one of Earth's most recent warm periods, according to a new study that traced the origin of ancient dust preserved in Antarctic ice. Previous modeling studies suggest that the melting of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet could raise global sea levels by between three and five meters.

As meltwater drains through and beneath a glacier, it can alter how the ice flows and whether it breaks apart. Meltwater can also cause feedback that leads to more ice loss. Understanding when and how glacial meltwater drains is therefore critical to predicting how fast glaciers will lose ice and how that loss will affect sea level.

The first small satellite of the CloudCT network has been integrated, tested, and prepared for launch from California in June 2026. This precursor mission will be followed, if successful, by the launch of 10 additional CloudCT satellites in 2027, helping to fill gaps in our understanding of clouds and their role in climate.

Most people think of ice as frozen and lifeless, but research at Umeå University shows the opposite. A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences demonstrates that ice actively speeds up the breakdown of iron minerals and may release more iron than current environmental models account for. This is crucial for predicting how nutrient cycles, carbon storage, and water quality will change in polar and mountain regions as the planet warms.

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have categorized a unique, previously unclassified type of heat wave in Japan, so-called "moist heat waves" which are accompanied by an approaching tropical cyclone. These heat waves are accompanied by high humidity and/or heavy precipitation, and their frequency has been rising over the last 30 years, accounting for approximately a quarter of the heat wave days surveyed. They may potentially trigger multiple natural hazards at once.

British demand for everyday global commodities can be linked to more than 29,000 hectares of deforestation worldwide in a single year, with tens of thousands of hectares stripped directly from overseas ecosystems. The stark figure forms the centerpiece of an environmental assessment released by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) at the University of York.

The ocean is an important carbon sink that absorbs 20–30% of the total anthropogenic CO2 emissions in the industrial era (1.0–3.0 Pg annually, 1 Pg = 1015 g). Tropical cyclones are among the most devastating weather systems that profoundly disturb the upper ocean. However, their role in the global carbon cycle has been controversial: do tropical cyclones lead to net carbon absorption or release by the ocean, and does it matter?

Located in the middle of the North Pacific, between Japan and Canada, lies one of the world's largest oceanic plateaus, the so-called Hess Rise. The plateau is roughly T-shaped and extends over a length of about 1,000 kilometers. Due to its distance from the nearest mainland, the research area at Hess Rise is difficult to access and has therefore been the destination of only a few expeditions to date.

Seismic waves traveling through Earth's interior often propagate at different speeds depending on their direction, a phenomenon known as seismic anisotropy. Such anisotropy is commonly detected beneath subduction zones, particularly near stagnant slabs in the mantle transition zone and uppermost lower mantle. However, the physical origin of these signals has remained uncertain.

Natural geological processes have been regulating Earth's climate for millions of years. Accelerated versions of these processes are now being promoted as technologies to draw down carbon from the atmosphere—and some are rapidly moving from concept to real-world deployments.

Thawing permafrost is rapidly transforming dozens of Arctic streams into acidic, metal-laden waterways, according to new research published in Science. The study shows how thawing permafrost exposes sulfide minerals that react with oxygen and water—a process similar to what occurs in mining pollution. The reactions release acidity and heavy metals such as zinc, nickel, cadmium, and aluminum into surrounding waters.

Rice feeds more than half the world. From terraced paddies in Southeast Asia to irrigated fields in China and India, it underpins daily meals for billions of people.

The Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt has survived more than 4,500 years. Earthquakes have repeatedly shaken the region, including the magnitude 5.8 Cairo earthquake in 1992, which dislodged some of the pyramid's outer casing stones. Yet the main body remained essentially intact.

A new atlas charts the global distribution of unusual, critical-metal-bearing igneous rocks, finding that they often form near the thick and ancient cores of the world's major continents. Researchers from Cambridge's Department of Earth Sciences mapped occurrences of CO2-rich igneous rocks—the world's primary source of rare earth elements—finding that their distribution is strongly tied to variations in Earth's rigid outer layer, the lithosphere.

Forecasters say a potentially "super" El Niño is rapidly taking shape in the Pacific—but whether it evolves into a history-making event could hinge on fickle winds and other volatile atmospheric shifts.

A new international study led by Lander Van Tricht (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, ETH Zürich), shows that glaciers in Central Asia experienced their most extreme mass-loss year on record in 2025, designated as the International Year of Glaciers Preservation by the United Nations, following an initiative from Tajikistan. The findings are published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.