In Finnish Lapland, Tiina Sanila-Aikio, former president of the Finnish Sami parliament, has witnessed a record-hot, dry summer in the region. This warming trend is visibly affecting the Sami homeland, where conifer trees are turning orange, and the typically lush moss is drying out. These boreal forests and peatlands, which are critical for absorbing carbon, …
Three decades ago, David Ho, then a young NOAA technician, set up an unusual experiment involving two dinosaur-patterned kiddie pools in the NOAA parking lot to investigate the role of rain in CO2 exchange between air and water. Ho’s daily routine involved waiting for Miami’s frequent thunderstorms to sample the rain-affected pools, enduring months of …
Continue reading “Rain’s role in boosting ocean carbon uptake”
Researchers Ross Stein and Peter Bird have proposed a hypothesis that many major continental transform earthquakes begin on branch faults, which they describe as “on-ramps” that lead to ruptures on larger, more mature faults. This theory, if validated, could have significant implications for earthquake monitoring and preparedness, potentially altering how and where seismic networks are …
Continue reading “Branch faults in continental transform earthquakes”
The Earth relies on natural processes and ecosystems to regulate the climate, with carbon sinks playing a crucial role. These include oceans, forests, and soils, which absorb about half of all human carbon emissions. One of the key processes is the daily migration of zooplankton and other marine organisms that feed on algae near the …
Continue reading “Threats to carbon sinks and climate stability”
In September 2023, a globally detected seismic signal sparked curiosity among scientists when it persisted for up to nine days. This signal, unlike typical earthquake waves, was traced back to a massive rockslide in Greenland’s Dickson Fjord. A multinational team of researchers, including those from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), set out to uncover …
Continue reading “Seismic signal traced to Greenland rockslide”
A recent scientific assessment has revealed that global wildlife populations have plummeted by an average of 73% over the past 50 years, driven by human activity and ecosystem degradation. The WWF and Zoological Society of London’s Living Planet Report shows that Latin America and the Caribbean have experienced the sharpest declines, with a 95% fall …
Continue reading “Global biodiversity loss threatens ecosystems”
Researchers studying Türkiye’s Central Anatolian Plateau have uncovered evidence of lithospheric dripping, a newly discovered phenomenon in plate tectonics. This process involves Earth’s crust slowly sinking, or “dripping,” into the deeper layers of the planet, altering surface geology over time. The Konya Basin, a depression within the plateau, exhibits signs of this process as the …
Continue reading “Lithospheric dripping discovered in Turkey”
University of Maryland scientists have made a groundbreaking ancient seafloor discovery, revealing evidence of a seafloor that sank deep into Earth during the age of dinosaurs. This finding challenges existing theories about Earth’s interior structure and provides new insights into the planet’s geological history. The ancient seafloor was uncovered in the East Pacific Rise, a …
Continue reading “Ancient seafloor discovery reveals Earth’s deep history”
