Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geology Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General
Published

Two epicenters led to Japan's violent Noto earthquake on New Year's Day      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The 7.5- magnitude earthquake beneath Japan's Noto Peninsula on Jan. 1, 2024, occurred when a 'dual-initiation mechanism' applied enough energy from two different locations to break through a fault barrier -- an area that locks two sides of a fault in place and absorbs the energy of fault movement, slowing it down or stopping it altogether.

Archaeology: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Landslides Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

New study reveals devastating power and colossal extent of a giant underwater avalanche off the Moroccan coast      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research has revealed how an underwater avalanche grew more than 100 times in size causing a massive trail of destruction as it traveled 2000km across the Atlantic Ocean seafloor off the North West coast of Africa. Researchers provide an unprecedented insight into the scale, force and impact of one of nature's mysterious phenomena, underwater avalanches.

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

Using AI to link heat waves to global warming      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers used machine learning to determine how much global warming has influenced extreme weather events in the U.S. and elsewhere in recent years. Their approach could change how scientists study and predict the impact of climate change on extreme weather.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

AI approach to drought zoning      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A recent study shows that climate change may cause many areas in Canada to experience significant droughts by the end of the century. In response, the researchers have introduced an advanced AI-based method to map drought-prone regions.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Sharing risk to avoid power outages in an era of extreme weather      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Heat waves, droughts, and fires place growing stress on the West's electric grid. New research suggests that more integrated management of electricity resources across the region could significantly reduce the risk of power outages and accelerate the transition to clean energy.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Geoscience: Geology Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Fossil hotspots in Africa obscure a more complete picture of human evolution      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study shows how the mismatch between where fossils are preserved and where humans likely lived may influence our understanding of early human evolution.

Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Less severe forest fires can reduce intensity of future blazes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Low- and moderate-severity forest wildfires can reduce the intensity of future fires, according to new research on 'reburns.'

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Landslides Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Urban street networks, building density shape severity of floods      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The design of streets and layout of buildings have an impact on a city's resilience in the face of increasingly severe floods brought on by climate change. Researchers look at buildings and other urban structures as physicists consider elements in complex material systems. With this insight, the researchers have developed a new approach to urban flood modelling and found their results helpful in analyzing city-to-city variations in flood risk globally.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Preservation of organic carbon in the ocean floor      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The preservation of organic carbon in marine sediments has long been a key question remaining unclear in understanding the long-term carbon cycling on Earth. Recently, scientists have gained new insights into the dynamic cycling of iron-bound organic carbon in subseafloor sediments.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Scientists discover phenomenon impacting Earth's radiation belts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Two scientists discovered a new type of 'whistler,' an electromagnetic wave that carries a substantial amount of lightning energy to the Earth's magnetosphere.

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

Decoding mysterious seismic signals      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Geophysicists find link between seismic waves called PKP precursors and anomalies in Earth's mantle that are associated with hotspots associated with volcanism on the surface.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: General
Published

Scottish and Irish rocks confirmed as rare record of 'snowball Earth'      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The study found that the Port Askaig Formation, composed of layers of rock up to 1.1 km thick, was likely laid down between 662 to 720 million years ago during the Sturtian glaciation -- the first of two global freezes thought to have triggered the development of complex, multicellular life.

Geoscience: Severe Weather Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General
Published

Hailstone library to improve extreme weather forecasting      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers are measuring and scanning samples for a global 'hailstone library'. Storm simulations using 3-D modelling of real hailstones -- in all sorts of weird shapes from oblong to flat discs or with spikes coming out -- show it behaves differently than spherical hail shapes. Data from the hail library could lead to more accurate storm forecasts.

Chemistry: General Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Geoscience: Severe Weather Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General
Published

New research shows unprecedented atmospheric changes during May's geomagnetic superstorm      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

On May 11, a gorgeous aurora surprised stargazers across the southern United States. That same weekend, a tractor guided by GPS missed its mark. What do the visibility of the northern lights have in common with compromised farming equipment in the Midwest? A uniquely powerful geomagnetic storm, according to new research.

Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geology
Published

Researchers unveil mysteries of ancient Earth      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of researchers has made strides in understanding the formation of massif-type anorthosites, enigmatic rocks that only formed during the middle part of Earth's history. These plagioclase-rich igneous rock formations, which can cover areas as large as 42,000 square kilometers and host titanium ore deposits, have puzzled scientists for decades due to conflicting theories about their origins.

Biology: Microbiology Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Hydrometeorology and location affect hospitalizations for waterborne infectious diseases in the US      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An analysis of 12 years of data collected from over 500 hospitals in 25 different states shows that weather, geographic location, and urban or rural location all appear to influence hospitalizations for waterborne infectious diseases.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Nighttime light data shows inequities in restoring power after Hurricane Michael      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Using nighttime lightdata from NASA, remote sensing, official outage records and census information, a study reveals notable differences in power-restoration rates between urbanized and rural areas and between disadvantaged and more affluent communities after Hurricane Michael in Florida's Panhandle. Block groups with higher proportions of minorities, multi-family housing units, rural locations, and households receiving public assistance experienced slower restoration of power compared to urban and more affluent neighborhoods.

Ecology: Nature Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Climate change raised the odds of unprecedented wildfires in 2023-24      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Unprecedented wildfires in Canada and parts of Amazonia last year were at least three times more likely due to climate change and contributed to high levels of CO2 emissions from burning globally, according to the a new systematic review. The State of Wildfires report takes stock of extreme wildfires of the 2023-2024 fire season (March 2023-February 2024), explains their causes, and assesses whether events could have been predicted. It also evaluates how the risk of similar events will change in future under different climate change scenarios.

Biology: Botany Biology: General Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Study reveals urban trees suffer more from heat waves and drought than their rural counterparts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A recent study details how trees in New York City and Boston are more negatively impacted by heat waves and drought than trees of the same species in nearby rural forests. The finding highlights the challenges urban trees face in the context of climate change and underscores the importance of tailored urban forestry management as a tool for protecting tree species and reducing urban heat islands.