Phys.org: Earth science

Tsunamis pose a risk to the entire California coast. But should a major one strike, how bad could it be?

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 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.

Antarctica could see a doubling of extreme weather events—such as atmospheric rivers—by 2100, with implications for future sea level rise.

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.

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.

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.

Climate change is reshaping the global water cycle, disrupting rainfall patterns and putting growing pressure on cities and ecosystems. Some regions are grappling with heavier rainfall and flooding, while others face prolonged droughts that threaten public health, disrupt economies and increase the risk of political instability. In one recent example, a years-long drought between 2015 and 2020 brought Cape Town, South Africa, to the brink of running out of water—a moment officials dubbed "Day Zero."

Heat waves, droughts and forest fires are some of the extreme climate-related events that are expected not only to become more frequent but also to increasingly strike at the same time. This finding emerges from a new study led by Uppsala University, in which researchers have mapped the impact of climate change in different regions of the world.

The "Big Five" mass extinctions of the Phanerozoic Eon have long attracted significant attention from the geoscience community and the public. Among them, the Late Ordovician Mass Extinction (LOME) is the earliest of the Phanerozoic, and questions about its causes and dynamics have been a central focus in Earth sciences over the past century.

Scientists have uncovered new evidence to suggest that Earth is leaking gases from deep inside its mantle—even in regions without any volcanic activity.

As the planet's oceans are gradually warmed by the effects of climate change, a huge area in the North Atlantic stands out as an unusual zone of relative cooling.

Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, shifting tectonic plates—these are all signs that our planet is alive. But what is revealed deep inside Earth surprises laymen and scientists alike: Almost 3000 kilometers below Earth's surface, solid rock is flowing that is neither liquid, like lava, nor brittle, like solid rock.

Heat waves and cold spells are part of life on the Great Lakes. But new research from the University of Michigan shows that is true today in a fundamentally different way than it was even 30 years ago.

A new study has revealed for the first time that ancient carbon, stored in landscapes for thousands of years or more, can find its way back to the atmosphere as CO₂ is released from the surfaces of rivers.

Hot air holds more moisture. That's why you can blow your hair dry even after a steamy shower. It's also what dumps rain in the tropics and sucks water from desert soils.

Nitrates in the atmosphere reduce air quality and play an important role in climate change. An international team led by Hokkaido University researchers has revealed how chemical processes in the atmosphere have led to persistently high nitrate levels despite a reduction in emissions over the past few decades.

In a UNSW-led Nature study, researchers say that an off-the-scale marine heat wave in the North Atlantic Ocean in 2023 was caused by record-breaking weak winds combined with increased solar radiation—all on the back of ongoing climate change.

Lenore Tedesco doesn't need to venture far to witness sea-level rise. She tracks its relentless advance from her window at work.

Even if you live far from the boreal forests in Canada and Siberia, you've likely noticed an increase in smoke from their forest fires. During major blazes in 2023, the smoke tinted the New York sky orange and drifted as far south as New Orleans. These blazes have surged in the last decade due to the effects of climate change—warmer summers, less snow cover in the spring, and the loss of sea ice. Experts expect that trend to continue.