Feed aggregator | Отдел физики околоземного космического пространства

Thick smoke from massive wildfires has been spreading in North America and Europe once again in 2026. The health impacts of breathing this particle-filled air are becoming well known, but wildfires' influence on the weather is less widely recognized.

Pacific cloud brightening could weaken El Nino, but models reveal risks for Europe and Asia

Phys.org: Earth science - Sat, 08/01/2026 - 13:50

A brewing "super" El Nino cycle is poised to unleash heat waves, floods and drought worldwide, with the effects amplified by long-term human-caused climate change.

Ancient diamond preserves evidence of water-bearing mineral deep in Earth's mantle

Phys.org: Earth science - Sat, 08/01/2026 - 11:20

A team of Brazilian researchers discovered the first direct evidence that goethite—the mineral responsible for the brown color of soils—can withstand extreme pressures and temperatures all the way to the planet's interior inside a diamond just 3 millimeters (0.1 inch) long, within a microscopic impurity. Goethite forms in soil and on the ocean floor from iron-rich minerals in the presence of water. It incorporates some of these water molecules into its mineral structure. The study suggests that goethite may transport and release water into a region known as the lower mantle.

Experts survey the glacier ice on Mount Ararat for the first time

Phys.org: Earth science - Fri, 07/31/2026 - 18:20

Facing wind and cold, with only half as much oxygen to breathe as in the valley, a German-Turkish research team surveyed the glacier on Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey for the first time in July, at more than 5,000 meters (16,400 feet) above sea level. For two weeks, the team explored the ice field, which until then had been a blank page for researchers. Their goal was to find out whether the ice on Turkey's highest mountain preserves a unique archive of climate and cultural history.

Ancient Irish volcano offers new clues about the development of its modern-day, active 'brothers and sisters'

Phys.org: Earth science - Fri, 07/31/2026 - 17:00

An international team of volcanologists working on Carlingford Mountain has found that liquid "magma chambers" do not always exist beneath volcanoes. The team instead demonstrated that magma "plumbing systems" beneath Earth's surface can fluctuate between solid- and liquid-dominated states, providing an improved view of how active volcanoes evolve through time.

New method flags hurricane rapid intensification up to five days ahead

Phys.org: Earth science - Fri, 07/31/2026 - 16:00

The rapid intensification of a hurricane ranks among the most dangerous weather events on Earth. Storms such as Hurricane Michael, which crashed ashore in the Florida Panhandle with winds of 160 mph (about 257 km/h), and Hurricane Otis, the costliest hurricane to strike Mexico's Pacific coast, caught communities unawares when they intensified at a rate that computer models failed to anticipate.