Feed aggregator | Отдел физики околоземного космического пространства

Mangrove forests are short of breath, researchers warn

Phys.org: Earth science - Wed, 03/11/2026 - 17:00

The tidal environment of mangrove forests serves as nurseries for many fish species. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have measured carbon dioxide and oxygen levels in 23 of the world's mangrove areas. The study, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, sends out a warning that these ecosystems are increasingly threatened as sea temperatures continue to rise.

Typhoons: The hidden lifeline in a drying world

Phys.org: Earth science - Wed, 03/11/2026 - 15:40

A research team led by Professor Jonghun Kam from POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology) has revealed that typhoons are a critical factor in mitigating global droughts by simulating a scenario where typhoon-induced precipitation is removed. The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, delivers the message that "imagining a world without typhoons is the starting point for understanding future droughts."

California communities' recovery time between wildfire smoke events is shrinking

Phys.org: Earth science - Wed, 03/11/2026 - 13:00

Californians have long dealt with wildfire smoke as a seasonal fact of life, but those fires have become more intense and frequent, raising the profile of wildfire smoke as a public health issue. Now, a study led by researchers at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography finds that the time between multi-day smoke events is shrinking—leaving communities with less time to recover before smoke returns.

New research shows path to affordable water in fast-growing cities

Phys.org: Earth science - Wed, 03/11/2026 - 09:02

By 2050, up to half the world's urban population will face water scarcity. A new model of water supply, demand, and policies in a drought-prone city of 7 million in India shows how policies could prevent the poor from bearing the heaviest burden.

Antarctica undergoes 'Greenlandification' as ice melt accelerates

Phys.org: Earth science - Tue, 03/10/2026 - 22:20

An article published recently in Nature Geoscience warns that Antarctica's ice masses have begun to experience a process scientists call "Greenlandification." The term refers to the unprecedented retreat of Greenland's outlet glaciers and longer surface melt seasons.

Soil health index finds restored mangroves can near full function

Phys.org: Earth science - Tue, 03/10/2026 - 20:00

Brazilian researchers have developed an index that can measure the health of mangrove soils at different stages. When applied to degraded, restored, and preserved areas, the index revealed that healthy mangroves, including recovered ones, provide ecosystem services at nearly maximum capacity. In contrast, deforested mangroves have only a small fraction of this potential.

Glacial lakes in Alaska are expanding rapidly and could quadruple in size

Phys.org: Earth science - Tue, 03/10/2026 - 15:20

Alaska's glacial lakes are growing faster than in previous decades. They expanded by more than 150 square kilometers between 2018 and 2024, and could eventually grow to more than four times their current size as glaciers retreat, according to a new study published in the journal PNAS.

Subglacial weathering may have slowed planet's escape from snowball Earth

Phys.org: Earth science - Tue, 03/10/2026 - 14:00

A new study led by researchers at the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) at Institute of Science Tokyo challenges a long-standing assumption about Earth's most extreme ice ages. Using numerical geochemical models, the team showed that chemical weathering may have continued beneath thick continental ice sheets during the snowball Earth event, consuming atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) and potentially prolonging global glaciation.

Collisionless ion-electron energy exchange in magnetized shocks

Physical Review E (Plasma physics) - Tue, 03/10/2026 - 10:00

Author(s): Y. Zhang, P. V. Heuer, H. Wen, J. R. Davies, C. Ren, D. B. Schaeffer, E. G. Blackman, J. Zhang, A. Bret, and F. García-Rubio

Energy partition between ions and electrons in collisionless shocks has been a long-standing unsolved fundamental physical question. We show that kinetic simulations of moderate Alfvénic Mach number, magnetized, collisionless shocks reveal rapid, faster-than-Coulomb, energy exchange between ions and…

[Phys. Rev. E 113, 035205] Published Tue Mar 10, 2026