Earth

Unearthing History: Boston College researchers and colleagues pinpoint the source of unique chemical composition of volcanic rocks

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Ethan Baxter, Anna Gerrits, Paul Starr (Boston College), Edward Inglis (Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris), Besim Dragovic (University of South Carolina), Kevin Burton (Durham University) Boston College A new analysis has revealed the source of oxidation found in rock samples from the coast of Greece, where geological activity spawned explosive arc volcanoes about … Read more

Banana disease boosted by climate change

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Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B University of Exeter Alex Morrison Climate change has raised the risk of a fungal disease that ravages banana crops, new research shows. Black Sigatoka disease emerged from Asia in the late 20th Century and has recently completed its invasion of banana-growing areas in Latin America and the Caribbean. … Read more

A missing link in haze formation

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Air-quality alerts often include the levels of particulate matter, small clumps of molecules in the lower atmosphere that can range in size from microscopic to visible. These particles can contribute to haze, clouds, and fog and also can pose a health risk, especially those at the smaller end of the spectrum. Particles known as PM10 … Read more

Arctic permafrost thaw plays greater role in climate change than previously estimated

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Abrupt thawing of permafrost will double previous estimates of potential carbon emissions from permafrost thaw in the Arctic, and is already rapidly changing the landscape and ecology of the circumpolar north, a new CU Boulder-led study finds. Permafrost, a perpetually frozen layer under the seasonally thawed surface layer of the ground, affects 18 million square … Read more

Hurricane Harvey tops league of most extreme US weather this decade

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A top ten of record-breaking US weather events of the last decade reveals Hurricane Harvey is the most extreme of the decade, and similar others were among the costliest and deadliest on record, according to magazine Weatherwise. Hurricane Harvey, the 2017 storm that devastated Texas and Louisiana, is ranked first followed by the 2012 ‘Frankenstorm’ … Read more

This is not a climate emergency. It’s much more serious

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The ferocity, reach and duration of fires that have devastated Australian communities, bush and rural landscapes this summer should not just sound the alarm for a climate emergency, because the situation is much more serious. And Australia is “ground zero” for what is in reality a “climate crisis”. That’s the stark warning Professor Mark Howden … Read more

Can a river sing? ANU researchers say ‘absolutely’

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Scientists and audio specialists have teamed up to travel the entire length of the river by kayak, starting in Kosciuszko National Park in southeast NSW and ending in South Australia. They are capturing the river’s sights and sounds as well as turning important data about the river into audio. Honours student Xavier Anderson is one … Read more

Scientists show solar system processes control the carbon cycle throughout Earth’s history

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The world is waking up to the fact that human-driven carbon emissions are responsible for warming our climate, driving unprecedented changes to ecosystems, and placing us on course for the sixth mass extinction event in Earth’s history. However, new research publishing this week in leading international journal PNAS, sheds fresh light on the complicated interplay of … Read more