Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Space: The Solar System
Published

The case of the cloudy filters: Solving the mystery of the degrading sunlight detectors      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Sun-facing satellites monitor the Sun's ultraviolet (UV) light to give us advance warning of solar storms. But over the course of just a year or two, the metal filters in the detectors mysteriously lose their ability to transmit UV light. Now, scientists have found the first evidence indicating that carbonization is not the problem.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Space: The Solar System
Published

The aurora's very high altitude booster      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Electrons arriving from the Sun are propelled by electrical energy generated as high as 30,000 kilometers above Earth, ultimately creating the dazzling displays of the northern and southern lights.

Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Antarctic seals reveal worrying threats to disappearing glaciers      (via sciencedaily.com) 

More Antarctic meltwater is surfacing than was previously known, modifying the climate, preventing sea ice from forming and boosting marine productivity- according to new research. For the first time, researchers have been able to obtain full-depth glacial meltwater observations in winter, using instruments attached to the heads of seals living near the Pine Island Glacier, in the remote Amundsen Sea in the west of Antarctica.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Space: Exploration
Published

'Space hurricane' in Earth's upper atmosphere discovered      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Analysis of observations made by satellites in 2014 has revealed a long-lasting 'space hurricane' -- a swirling mass of plasma several hundred kilometers above the North Pole, raining electrons instead of water.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms
Published

Ancient relic points to a turning point in Earth's history 42,000 years ago      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The temporary breakdown of Earth's magnetic field 42,000 years ago sparked major climate shifts that led to global environmental change and mass extinctions, a new international study shows.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms
Published

How do electrons close to Earth reach almost the speed of light?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In the Van Allen radiation belts, electrons can reach almost the speed of light. Researchers have revealed conditions for such strong accelerations. They had demonstrated in 2020: during solar storm plasma waves play a crucial role. However, it remained unclear why ultra-relativistic electron energies are not achieved in all solar storms. They now show: extreme depletions of the background plasma density are crucial.

Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Researchers use car collisions with deer to study mysterious animal-population phenomena      (via sciencedaily.com) 

By parsing data on weather, deer populations and deer-vehicle collisions in Wisconsin, investigators show spatial synchrony could be driving population cycles, rather than the reverse.

Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

2020 tied for warmest year on record, NASA analysis shows      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Earth's global average surface temperature in 2020 tied with 2016 as the warmest year on record, according to an analysis by NASA.

Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Largest study of Asia's rivers unearths 800 years of paleoclimate patterns      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The SUTD study will be crucial for assessing future climatic changes and making more informed water management decisions.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms
Published

The upside of volatile space weather      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Although stellar flares are typically viewed as a detriment to habitability, study shows 'life might still have a fighting chance.' Researchers find that flares drive a planets atmospheric composition to a new chemical equilibrium.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms
Published

Can ripples on the sun help predict solar flares?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists discovered in 1996 that sunquakes are linked to solar flares. Now, using helioseismic holography, scientists have analyzed a 2011 flare and shown that the impulsive source that generated the sunquake, and the refracted acoustic waves that later rippled the solar surface, was submerged 1,000 kilometers below the photosphere and flare. Further sunquake study could reveal if submerged sources are common and whether they can predict the appearance of flares and potential impact on Earth.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms
Published

NASA's IRIS spots nanojets: Shining light on heating the solar corona      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers report the first ever clear images of nanojets -- bright thin lights that travel perpendicular to the magnetic structures in the solar atmosphere, called the corona -- in a process that reveals the existence of one of the potential coronal heating candidates: nanoflares.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms
Published

Solar storm forecasts for Earth improved with help from the public      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists used observations recorded by members of the public to increase accuracy of computer model predictions of when harmful CMEs will hit Earth.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms
Published

First physics-based method for predicting large solar flares      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A research team recently succeeded in developing the first physics-based model that can accurately predict imminent large solar flares, which can cause severe space weather disturbances affecting Earth.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms
Published

Researchers track slowly splitting 'dent' in Earth's magnetic field      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Earth's magnetic field acts like a protective shield around the planet, repelling and trapping charged particles from the Sun. But over South America and the southern Atlantic Ocean, an unusually weak spot in the field -- called the South Atlantic Anomaly, or SAA -- allows these particles to dip closer to the surface than normal.

Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Previously undescribed lineage of Archaea illuminates microbial evolution      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists describe a previously unknown phylum of aquatic Archaea that are likely dependent on partner organisms for growth while potentially being able to conserve some energy by fermentation.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms
Published

NASA data helps new model predict big solar flares      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have developed a new model that successfully predicted seven of the Sun's biggest flares from the last solar cycle, out of a set of nine. With more development, the model could be used to one day inform forecasts of these intense bursts of solar radiation.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms
Published

Breakthrough method for predicting solar storms      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Extensive power outages and satellite blackouts that affect air travel and the internet are some of the potential consequences of massive solar storms. These storms are believed to be caused by the release of enormous amounts of stored magnetic energy due to changes in the magnetic field of the sun's outer atmosphere - something that until now has eluded scientists' direct measurement. Researchers believe this recent discovery could lead to better 'space weather' forecasts in the future.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Space: The Solar System
Published

Alaskan seismometers record the northern lights      (via sciencedaily.com) 

An aurora sightseeing tour leader in Alaska, was lucky enough to photograph a 'eruption' of brilliant pink light in the night skies one night in February.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms
Published

South Atlantic anomalies existed 8 - 11 million years ago      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Research has revealed that strange behavior of the magnetic field in the South Atlantic region existed as far back as eight to 11 million years ago, suggesting that today's South Atlantic Anomaly is a recurring feature and unlikely to represent an impending reversal of the Earth's magnetic field.