Phys.org: Earth science

Under high-emission scenarios, the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC), a key system of ocean currents that also includes the Gulf Stream, could shut down after the year 2100. This is the conclusion of a new study, with contributions by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). The shutdown would cut the ocean's northward heat supply, causing summer drying and severe winter extremes in northwestern Europe and shifts in tropical rainfall belts.

For decades, the Tijuana River has carried millions of gallons of untreated sewage and industrial waste across the U.S.-Mexico border. The river passes through San Diego's South Bay region before emptying into the ocean, recently leading to more than 1,300 consecutive days of beach closures and water quality concerns.

Clouds are important for Earth's energy balance because they interact with radiation in different ways. On one hand, low clouds reflect incoming solar radiation and thus cool Earth through a property known as albedo. On the other hand, clouds mainly at high altitudes prevent thermal radiation from escaping into space, which has a warming effect. Overall, the cooling effect currently dominates.

A more thorough way to estimate how much the world's boreal-Arctic wetlands and lakes contribute to current and future harmful methane emissions has been developed in part by University of Alberta researchers.

Humanity and the environment's adaptation to climate change is dependent on water, but projecting how water resources will be impacted in the future is difficult.

How Earth's atmosphere transformed from oxygen-poor to oxygen-rich over a span of about two billion years has been revealed by an international team of researchers.

An international team of scientists led by microbiologists Marc Mussmann and Alexander Loy from the University of Vienna has discovered a new microbial metabolism: so-called MISO bacteria "breathe" iron minerals by oxidizing toxic sulfide.

Supercell thunderstorms are among the most impactful weather events in Europe. They typically occur in summer and are characterized by a rotating updraft of warm, humid air that brings strong winds, large hail and heavy rain. The impact is significant and often leads to property damage, agricultural losses, traffic chaos and even threats to human safety.

A new study led by researchers from the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has for the first time mapped the long-term, large-scale transport pathways of PM2.5 pollution across China spanning from 2000 to 2021, providing scientific support for refining national air quality management strategies.

When water is below normal levels in Latin America, it's not just farmers and consumers who suffer. A new study finds that air pollution spikes, and thousands of people die prematurely as a result.

On August 5, a cloudburst near the Kheer Ganga river triggered a flash flood that tore through Dharali, a village in the Indian Himalayas. Within minutes, the river swelled with water, mud and debris, sweeping away homes, roads and lives.

Research by the University of Southampton and University of East Anglia (UEA) shows a major shift in South Pacific climate conditions—beginning around 1,000 years ago—that may have pushed people to settle further east and move away from increasingly drier conditions in the west.

Microplastics and nanoplastics are not only polluting our oceans, rivers and fields, but also our forests, according to geoscientists at TU Darmstadt. Their research is published in Communications Earth & Environment.

Far beneath the waves, down in the depths of the Japan Trench—seven kilometers below sea level—lie hidden clues about some of the most powerful earthquakes and tsunamis on Earth.

What do the rumblings of Iceland's volcanoes have in common with the now peaceful volcanic islands off Scotland's western coast and the spectacular basalt columns of the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland?

The atmosphere will become more turbulent in future decades as climate change makes the air less stable.

The uplift and outward growth of Asia's three great plateaus is a major driver of changes in the Asian landscape and biodiversity, according to a new study led by Prof. Wang Wei from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IBCAS).

As the United States passes a tipping point in water security, new research reveals that millions of Americans now face a growing crisis in accessing clean, affordable water.

Volcanic eruptions can have dramatic consequences. But how can we anticipate this phenomenon, which unfolds up to tens of kilometers beneath the surface?

A new study has revealed that tiny organisms called snow algae are significantly contributing to the surface melting on Antarctic ice shelves. The discovery could have far-reaching implications for global sea level rise.