Phys.org: Earth science

A patch of the Atlantic Ocean just south of Greenland is cooling while much of the world warms. The origin of this "cold blob" has been linked to weakening ocean currents that help regulate global climate—called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). A team of scientists led by Penn State has found a weakening AMOC impacts not just the ocean but also the atmosphere, and that these two factors may contribute equally to the cold anomaly.

Eastern Australia is one of the most fire-prone regions in the world, with bushfires responsible for the deaths of about 800 people and millions of animals since about 1850.

For years, sand nourishment has been an important way to protect the Dutch coast against erosion and rising sea levels. But we know surprisingly little about one type of nourishment, shoreface nourishment. A recent scientific review article published in Earth-Science Reviews by the University of Twente maps out existing knowledge in this area and underlines the need for further research.

Scientists have discovered that changes in climate and water levels are reducing the ability of some ecosystems in the Everglades to sequester carbon, while the environmental shifts are enhancing the potential for carbon uptake by scrub mangroves.

As glaciers retreat due to a rise in global temperatures, one study shows that detailed 3D elevation models could drastically improve predictions about how they react to Earth's warming climate.

Researchers have discovered a dramatic and unexpected shift in the Southern Ocean, with surface water salinity rising and sea ice in steep decline.

They're in the headlines every week—critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite and the rare earth elements essential for high-technology and national security applications.

When the island of Santorini was rattled by thousands of small earthquakes earlier this year, many people were left mystified about the source of the tremors.