Phys.org: Earth science

As global temperatures warm, the Southern Ocean—between Antarctica and other continents—will eventually release heat absorbed from the atmosphere, leading to projected long-term increases in precipitation over East Asia and the Western U.S., regardless of climate mitigation efforts.

El Niño, a climate troublemaker, has long been one of the largest drivers of variability in the global climate. Every few years, the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean seesaws between warm (El Niño) and cold (La Niña) phases. This reshuffles rainfall patterns, unleashing floods, droughts and storms thousands of miles from the Pacific origin.

Rivers, streams, lakes, and reservoirs aren't just scenic parts of our landscape—they're also vital engines for life on Earth. These inland waters "breathe" oxygen, just like we do. But a new study led by Utrecht University researchers shows that we've been suffocating them during the last century, an era also known as the Anthropocene. The research, published today in Science Advances, reveals that the way oxygen is produced and used in inland waters has dramatically changed since 1900. The culprit? Human activities.

The ocean is a vital part of our planet's climate system. Through its global circulation patterns, the ocean draws vast quantities of our planet's heat and carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

The desert that we see today in Arabia was once a region that repeatedly underwent "green" periods in the past, as a result of periods of high rainfall, resulting in the formation of lakes and rivers about 9,000 years ago.

Fast-moving underwater avalanches, known as turbidity currents, are responsible for transporting vast quantities of microplastics into the deep sea, according to new research published today.

For the first time, scientists have collected measurements close to a giant iceberg, giving an unprecedented window into the impact of meltwater on the surrounding Southern Ocean and ecosystem. The paper is published today (4 April 2025) in the journal Nature Geoscience.

Storm forecasting is traditionally based on studying atmospheric conditions, but research that also looks at land surface conditions is set to transform early warning systems in tropical regions. This will enable communities to better adapt to the destructive impacts of climate change.

Southern Ocean warming may have a greater impact than Arctic warming in some regions, particularly affecting tropical rainfall patterns, according to a study published in Nature Communications. These effects could exacerbate weather and climate extremes in vulnerable regions.

A new artificial intelligence (AI) model developed by Israeli researchers promises to revolutionize wildfire prediction, with a particular focus on lightning-induced blazes that are growing increasingly common due to climate change. The new AI model can predict where and when lightning strikes are most likely to cause wildfires, achieving more than 90% accuracy—a first in wildfire forecasting.

Eutrophication and oxygen depletion are well-known threats to the ecological balance of the Baltic Sea, which is increasingly under pressure due to climate change. In this context, large saltwater inflows from the North Sea play a crucial role. They transport oxygen-rich water into the deeper layers of the Baltic Sea, counteracting oxygen deficiency and so-called dead zones.

An international study led by the University of Eastern Finland and the Finnish Meteorological Institute has demonstrated that the formation and properties of lower-atmosphere clouds are highly sensitive to changes in atmospheric aerosol concentrations.

A research team, led by Professor Sung-Deuk Choi from the Department of Civil, Urban, Earth, and Environmental Engineering at UNIST, has developed a novel assessment technique to accurately identify the sources and spatial-temporal distribution of atmospheric mercury. The study has been published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.

For decades, satellites have played a crucial role in our understanding of the remote polar regions. The ongoing loss of Antarctic ice, due to the climate crisis, is, sadly, no longer surprising. However, satellites do more than just track the accelerating flow of glaciers toward the ocean and measure ice thickness.

The El Niño and Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is one of the most influential interannual climate phenomena in the global ocean-atmospheric system, with profound impacts on weather patterns, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.

The year may have started with a dry spell, but the end of California's storm season has brought more fresh snow to the Sierra Nevada, pushing the state's snowpack to 96% of average on April 1, when the snow season typically reaches its peak.

Estimates of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from volcanoes may have been significantly underestimated, according to new research by The University of Manchester.

When Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai, an underwater volcano near Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean, erupted in 2022, scientists expected that it would spew enough water vapor into the stratosphere to push global temperatures past the 1.5 C threshold set by the Paris Accords. A new UCLA-led study shows that not only did the eruption not warm the planet, but it actually reduced temperatures over the Southern Hemisphere by 0.1 C.

In a gliding avalanche, the entire snowpack slides down a suitable substratum such as grass or slabs of rock. Such avalanches are always released naturally. This requires the snow on the ground to become moist. In winter, this happens from below, when residual heat from summer is still stored in the ground.

Researchers have made a new discovery that changes our understanding of Earth's early geological history, challenging beliefs about how our continents formed and when plate tectonics began.