For more than 100,000 years, the Methana volcano in Greece appeared inactive, showing no visible signs of eruptions such as lava flows, ash clouds, or explosions. Because of this long period of silence, it was widely assumed to be extinct. However, new research led by ETH Zurich and published in Science Advances reveals a very …
Recent research into sperm whale communication is revealing striking similarities between how these massive marine mammals interact and how humans use language. Although sperm whales and humans diverged evolutionarily more than 90 million years ago, scientists are discovering that their communication systems share surprising structural features. A new study shows that sperm whales use patterns …
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Supervolcanoes are capable of producing some of the most powerful natural events on Earth, known as supereruptions, which can eject more than 1,000 cubic kilometers of material into the atmosphere. These massive eruptions can alter global climate by blocking sunlight, lowering temperatures, and disrupting ecosystems for years. Because of these far-reaching consequences, scientists are working …
Scientists have developed an innovative technique to measure ocean currents with unprecedented detail and frequency, addressing a long-standing gap in ocean observation. The method, known as GOFLOW (Geostationary Ocean Flow), uses deep learning to analyze thermal imagery from existing weather satellites, eliminating the need for new hardware. By leveraging satellites already in orbit, this approach …
Scientists at the University of California, Irvine have identified an important and previously underappreciated climate feedback involving nitrous oxide that could significantly influence future climate projections. Using two decades of satellite data from NASA’s Microwave Limb Sounder (2004–2024), researchers found that the atmospheric lifetime of this gas is decreasing by approximately 1.4 percent per decade. …
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For decades, Arctic permafrost has functioned as a massive natural storage system, effectively trapping carbon-rich organic material beneath frozen ground and slowing the release of climate-warming gases. However, new experimental research from the University of Leeds reveals that this system may be far more vulnerable than previously understood. As temperatures rise and frozen soils begin …
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A new study highlights how an expanding network of meltwater lakes along the edge of the Greenland ice sheet is playing a critical role in accelerating glacier movement and intensifying global sea-level rise. Greenland has already been losing approximately 264 gigatons of ice annually since 2002, contributing about 0.8 millimeters per year to rising sea …
Over the past two decades, scientists have observed a significant decline in low-level cloud cover, a shift that is playing a major role in accelerating global warming. These clouds, which typically form below 2,000 meters and include types such as stratus and stratocumulus, act as a natural cooling system for the planet by reflecting incoming …
