Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Volcanoes
Published

Human emissions increased mercury in the atmosphere sevenfold      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers estimated that before humans started pumping mercury into the atmosphere, it contained on average about 580 megagrams of mercury. However, in 2015, independent research that looked at all available atmospheric measurements estimated the atmospheric mercury reservoir was about 4,000 Mg -- nearly 7 times larger than the natural condition estimated in this study.  

Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Geoscience: Severe Weather Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

The importance of the Earth's atmosphere in creating the large storms that affect satellite communications      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Large geomagnetic storms disrupt radio signals and GPS. Now, researchers have identified the previous underestimated role of the ionosphere, a region of Earth's upper atmosphere that contains a high concentration of ions and free electrons, in determining how such storms develop. Understanding the interactions that cause large geomagnetic storms is important because they can disrupt radio signals and GPS. Their findings may help predict storms with the greatest potential consequences.

Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Volcanoes Paleontology: Climate
Published

Mystery of volcanic tsunami solved after 373 years      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The explosion of the underwater volcano Kolumbo in the Aegean Sea in 1650 triggered a destructive tsunami that was described by historical eye witnesses. A group of researchers has now surveyed Kolumbo's underwater crater with modern imaging technology and reconstructed the historical events. They found that the eyewitness accounts of the natural disaster can only be described by a combination of a landslide followed by an explosive eruption.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

Solar farms in space are possible      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

It's viable to produce low-cost, lightweight solar panels that can generate energy in space, according to new research.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Volcanoes
Published

California supervolcano is cooling off but may still cause quakes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New high-resolution images of the Long Valley Caldera indicate that the subsurface environment is cooling off, releasing gas and fluids that contribute to seismic activity.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Geoscience: Severe Weather Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Researchers identify largest ever solar storm in ancient 14,300-year-old tree rings      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team of scientists have discovered a huge spike in radiocarbon levels 14,300 years ago by analyzing ancient tree-rings found in the French Alps. The radiocarbon spike was caused by a massive solar storm, the biggest ever identified.  A similar solar storm today would be catastrophic for modern technological society – potentially wiping out telecommunications and satellite systems, causing massive electricity grid blackouts, and costing us billions. The academics are warning of the importance of understanding such storms to protect our global communications and energy infrastructure for the future.

Chemistry: General Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Volcanoes
Published

Volcanic ash effects on Earth systems      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

To bridge the knowledge gap between volcanologists and atmospheric scientists working on climate change and observing global systems, researchers have characterized volcanic ash samples from many explosive eruptions of a broad compositional range.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Volcanoes
Published

Crucial third clue to finding new diamond deposits      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers studying diamond-rich rocks from Western Australia's Argyle volcano have identified the missing third key ingredient needed to bring valuable pink diamonds to the Earth's surface where they can be mined, which could greatly help in the global hunt for new deposits.

Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Volcanoes
Published

Two out of three volcanoes are little-known. How to predict their eruptions?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

What is the risk of a volcano erupting? To answer this question, scientists need information about its underlying internal structure. However, gathering this data can take several years of fieldwork, analyses and monitoring, which explains why only 30% of active volcanoes are currently well documented. A team has developed a method for rapidly obtaining valuable information. It is based on three parameters: the height of the volcano, the thickness of the layer of rock separating the volcano's reservoir from the surface, and the average chemical composition of the magma.

Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Severe Weather Geoscience: Volcanoes
Published

Atmospheric circulation weakens following volcanic eruptions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team of scientists found that volcanic eruptions can cause the Pacific Walker Circulation to temporarily weaken, inducing El Niño-like conditions. The results provide important insights into how El Niño and La Niña events may change in the future.

Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Volcanoes
Published

Carbon dioxide -- not water -- triggers explosive basaltic volcanoes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Geoscientists have long thought that water -- along with shallow magma stored in Earth's crust -- drives volcanoes to erupt. Now, thanks to newly developed research tools, scientists have learned that gaseous carbon dioxide can trigger explosive eruptions.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Geomagnetic field protects Earth from electron showers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Geophysicists studied the activity of high energy electrons and clarified the unexpected protective role of the geomagnetic field surrounding the Earth.

Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Volcanoes
Published

Research reveals Hawai'i's undersea volcano, Kama'ehu, erupted five times in past 150 years      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Kama?ehuakanaloa (formerly L??ihi Seamount), a submarine Hawaiian volcano located about 20 miles off the south coast of the Big Island of Hawai'i, has erupted at least five times in the last 150 years, according to new research led by Earth scientists at the University of Hawai'i at M?noa.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: Space Physics: Optics Space: The Solar System
Published

Sun 'umbrella' tethered to asteroid might help mitigate climate change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Earth is rapidly warming and scientists are developing a variety of approaches to reduce the effects of climate change. An astronomer has proposed a novel approach -- a solar shield to reduce the amount of sunlight hitting Earth, combined with a tethered, captured asteroid as a counterweight. Engineering studies using this approach could start now to create a workable design that could mitigate climate change within decades.

Geoscience: Volcanoes
Published

Lasering lava to forecast volcanic eruptions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have optimized a new technique to help forecast how volcanoes will behave, which could save lives and property around the world.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Volcanoes Paleontology: Climate
Published

Research reveals sources of CO2 from Aleutian-Alaska Arc volcanoes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have wondered what happens to the organic and inorganic carbon that Earth's Pacific Plate carries with it as it slides into the planet's interior along the volcano-studded Ring of Fire. A new study suggests a notable amount of such subducted carbon returns to the atmosphere rather than traveling deep into Earth's mantle.

Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Volcanoes Paleontology: Climate
Published

Climate change will increase impacts of volcanic eruptions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Volcanic disasters have been studied since Pompeii was buried in 79 A.D., leading the public to believe that scientists already know why, where, when and how long volcanoes will erupt. But a volcanologist said these fundamental questions remain a mystery.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Volcanoes
Published

Effect of volcanic eruptions significantly underestimated in climate projections      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have found that the cooling effect that volcanic eruptions have on Earth's surface temperature is likely underestimated by a factor of two, and potentially as much as a factor of four, in standard climate projections.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Severe Weather Geoscience: Volcanoes
Published

A Tongan volcano plume produced the most intense lightning rates ever detected      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research showed that the plume emitted by the Hunga Volcano eruption in 2022 created the highest lightning flash rates ever recorded on Earth, more than any storm ever documented.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Volcanoes
Published

Campi Flegrei volcano edges closer to possible eruption      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The new study used a model of volcano fracturing to interpret patterns of earthquakes and ground uplift, and concluded that parts of the volcano had been stretched nearly to breaking point.