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Categories: Geoscience: Geology, Geoscience: Landslides
Published Most plastic debris on Seychelles beaches comes from far-off sources
(via sciencedaily.com) A new modelling study shows that the Seychelles and other islands in the western Indian Ocean are not responsible for most of the plastic waste that accumulates on their beaches. Indonesia, India, and Sri Lanka were found to be the main sources of land-based plastic debris. The Seychelles also accumulate significant amounts of plastic debris of marine origin from fisheries and shipping lanes. • The results highlight the urgent need for a legally-binding Global Plastics Treaty and greater enforcement of regional policies to reduce plastic waste.
Published Study offers most detailed glimpse yet of planet's last 11,000 summers and winters
(via sciencedaily.com) An international team of collaborators have revealed the most detailed look yet at the planet's recent climactic history, including summer and winter temperatures dating back 11,000 years to the beginning of what is known as the Holocene.
Published Map of ancient ocean 'dead zones' could predict future locations, impacts
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have created a map of oceanic 'dead zones' that existed during the Pliocene epoch, when the Earth's climate was two to three degrees warmer than it is now. The work could provide a glimpse into the locations and potential impacts of future low oxygen zones in a warmer Earth's oceans.
Published Bering Land Bridge formed surprisingly late during last ice age
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study that reconstructs the history of sea level at the Bering Strait shows that the Bering Land Bridge connecting Asia to North America did not emerge until around 35,700 years ago, less than 10,000 years before the height of the last ice age (known as the Last Glacial Maximum). The findings indicate that the growth of the ice sheets -- and the resulting drop in sea level -- occurred surprisingly quickly and much later in the glacial cycle than previous studies had suggested.
Published Hawai'i earthquake swarm caused by magma moving through 'sills'
(via sciencedaily.com) A machine-learning algorithm reveals the shape of massive subterranean structures linking active volcanoes.
Published New study models the transmission of foreshock waves towards Earth
(via sciencedaily.com) As the supersonic solar wind surges towards Earth, its interaction with our planet's magnetic field creates a shock to deflect its flow, and a foreshock filled with electromagnetic waves. How these waves can propagate to the other side of the shock has long remained a mystery.
Published Predicting lava flow
(via sciencedaily.com) A team is collecting data that will be used to create models that can help improve lava flow forecasting tools that are useful in determining how hazards impact populations. One such tool, known as MOLASSES, is a simulation engine that forecasts inundation areas of lava flow.
Published Changes in Earth's orbit may have triggered ancient warming event
(via sciencedaily.com) Changes in Earth's orbit that favored hotter conditions may have helped trigger a rapid global warming event 56 million years ago. Researchers found the shape of Earth's orbit, or eccentricity, and the wobble in its rotation, or precession, favored hotter conditions at the onset of the PETM and that these orbital configurations together may have played a role in triggering the event.
Published Fish larvae find their way using external cues
(via sciencedaily.com) The first global analysis of larval orientation studies found that millimeter-size fish babies consistently use external cues to find their way in the open ocean. There are many external cues available to marine fish including the Sun, Earth's magnetic field, and sounds. The new study offers important insight into understanding this perilous phase of marine fish.
Published Fossil site reveals giant arthropods dominated the seas 470 million years ago
(via sciencedaily.com) Discoveries at a major new fossil site in Morocco suggest giant arthropods -- relatives of modern creatures including shrimps, insects and spiders -- dominated the seas 470 million years ago.
Published Signals from the ionosphere could improve tsunami forecasts
(via sciencedaily.com) The powerful volcanic eruption in January 2022 created ripple effects throughout the world's atmosphere and oceans. Analysis of the Hunga Tonga eruption shows how signals from the ionosphere could help monitor future volcanoes and tsunamis.
Published Finding faults deeply stressful
(via sciencedaily.com) Evidence that a complete stress release may have contributed to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake that broke records. Both sedimentary formations above and below the plate boundary fault lie in the stress state of normal faults in which vertical stress is greater than maximum horizontal stress. The new data show good consistency with previous results above the fault -- at the boundary between the North American plate and the subducting Pacific plate -- suggesting that combining geophysical data and core samples to comprehensively investigate stress states is effective.
Published Fresh understanding of ice age frequency
(via sciencedaily.com) A chance find of an unstudied Antarctic sediment core has led researchers to flip our understanding of how often ice ages occurred in Antarctica.
Published Study shows landbuilding, site of freshwater diversion
(via sciencedaily.com) Supporters of the large-scale Mississippi River sediment diversions currently being planned by the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority got a boost to their case recently when scientists published an analysis of two existing freshwater diversions on the state's coastline, one of which shows a significant amount of land having formed over the past 17 years.
Published Landslide risk remains years after even a weak earthquake
(via sciencedaily.com) Satellite observations have revealed that weak seismic ground shaking can trigger powerful landslide acceleration -- even several years after a significant earthquake.
Published Earthquake lab experiments produce aftershock-like behavior
(via sciencedaily.com) Earthquakes are notoriously hard to predict, and so too are the usually less-severe aftershocks that often follow a major seismic event.
Published The evolution of Asia's mammals was dictated by ancient climate change and rising mountains
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study compiles data on more than 3,000 species to show how climate and geologic changes across Asia over the last 66 million years have shaped the evolution of the continent's mammals.
Published Satellites cast critical eye on coastal dead zones
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists have found a new and better way to use remote sensing to understand where coastal dead zones are and predict changes.
Published Exploring the deep: Drones offer new ways to monitor sea floor
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have developed a novel method for measuring the earth's crust on the seafloor. A lightweight geodetic measurement device was mounted on a sea-surface landing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The mobility of this new system will enable rapid, efficient collection of real-time deep seafloor information, which is critical for understanding earthquake risk, as well as various other oceanographic observations.
Published Monitoring 'frothy' magma gases could help evade disaster
(via sciencedaily.com) Volcanic eruptions are dangerous and difficult to predict. A team has found that the ratio of atoms in specific gases released from volcanic fumaroles (gaps in the Earth's surface) can provide an indicator of what is happening to the magma deep below -- similar to taking a blood test to check your health. This can indicate when things might be 'heating up.' Specifically, changes in the ratio of argon-40 and helium-3 can indicate how frothy the magma is, which signals the risk of different types of eruption. Understanding which ratios of which gases indicate a certain type of magma activity is a big step. Next, the team hopes to develop portable equipment which can provide on-site, real-time measurements for a 24/7 volcanic activity monitoring and early warning system.