Phys.org: Earth science

Between Hawaii and California, trash swirls in giant ocean currents, caught up in the infamous, Texas-sized Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This is just one of many found across the globe. Efforts to clear the patch with sweeping nets may be well-intentioned, but the financial and environmental costs of fuel make them controversial.

Guided by the lived experiences of community partners, Northwestern University scientists have simulated the effects of zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) adoption on future air quality for the greater Chicago area.

Public officials designing seawalls, levees and other safeguards against rising seas can save money if their solutions are flexible, adapting to sea-level increases over time, according to an analysis by scientists at Rutgers and Princeton universities.

Stretching from Montana to Missouri, the Missouri River basin is one of the country's largest river systems. Over the past century, its average streamflow has increased by about 40%, with multiple years since 1990 experiencing extremely high flow. Streamflow is affected by factors including precipitation, temperature, humidity, and atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), as well as changes in the way land is used, such as replacing forest with cropland. Understanding how these factors interact is critical in helping the public prepare for hydrologic extremes such as floods, which cost the United States billions of dollars per year.

A new study recently published in Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, provides new insights into the meteorological processes responsible for the filling of a normally dry lake in the northwestern Sahara. The research offers a fresh perspective on past climate variations and suggests we can learn from past flooding of the lake on ongoing climate change and future water resources in the desert.

Have you ever heard of—or even seen—red lightning? These are not animated characters but real atmospheric phenomena known as electrical discharges that occur high above thunderstorms. Scientists refer to them as "red sprites," named for their jellyfish-like appearance and vivid red flashes. Now, imagine witnessing these mesmerizing displays over the world's highest mountain range—the Himalayas.

In ancient China, spring rains were called "as precious as oil" for their vital role in nature's spring revival. Today, a unique climate phenomenon known as "spring persistent rainfall" (SPR) prevails in East Asia, bringing about 600 mm of rainfall—more than 35% of the region's annual mean total rainfall.

Using a sediment core taken from the Great Blue Hole off the coast of the Central American state of Belize, researchers from the universities of Frankfurt, Cologne, Göttingen, Hamburg and Bern have analyzed the local climate history of the last 5,700 years.

Flinders University coastal experts are finding more cost-efficient ways to capture crucial seascape elevation data (bathymetry), through current research projects that are monitoring environmental change across areas of South Australia's coastline.

The impact of hurricanes when they travel over land, or when they affect ships or oil-drilling platforms, are quite well understood. But these huge cyclones also stir up the ocean itself, with consequences that are relatively unknown and hard to study.

The natural process of locking away carbon dioxide (CO2) appears to be in decline—and climate change will accelerate as a result, a University of Strathclyde study warns.

Over the last 40 years, the majority of the world's lakes have changed color, according to a new study. The research team analyzed 32 million satellite observations from over 67,000 lakes. Major changes in the lake ecosystems are thought to be the cause.

Between 15,000 and 8,000 years ago, the Earth experienced significant climatic changes, including the rapid retreat of ice sheets and rising sea levels, during the Glacial–Holocene transition. This period featured abrupt climatic events such as the Bølling–Allerød warm period and the Younger Dryas (YD) cold reversal, highlighting shifts from glacial to interglacial conditions.

Could lumpy metallic rocks in the deepest, darkest reaches of the ocean be making oxygen in the absence of sunlight?

With sea traffic set to rise in a warming Arctic, researchers are helping sailors plot a safer course through sea ice and icebergs thanks to more reliable satellite-based forecasts.

A new analysis of earthquake rupture directivity provides essential insights for seismic hazard and risk assessments in urban areas, particularly concerning the Main Marmara Fault near Istanbul in western Türkiye.

Hydrology experts at Flinders University are calling for urgent investigations into the operation of bore-fields that access fresh groundwater on Pacific islands, including Kiribati, where rising sea levels are already putting local water supplies at risk.

Geological resources such as critical metals and minerals, essential for the diffusion of technologies such as renewable energy and energy storage towards a decarbonized society, are indispensable for supporting modern life in the form of various products and services. Their demand is expected to increase in the coming years, owing to the global population as well as economic growth.

Across the street from the Flamingo Visitor Center at the foot of Florida's Everglades National Park, there was once a thriving mangrove population—part of the largest stand of mangroves in the Western Hemisphere. Now, the skeletal remains of the trees form one of the Everglades' largest ghost forests.

As the planet warms, Antarctica's ice sheet is melting and contributing to sea-level rise around the globe. Antarctica holds enough frozen water to raise global sea levels by 190 feet, so precisely predicting how it will move and melt now and in the future is vital for protecting coastal areas.