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Astronomy / Space Science - Earth Sciences - 13.01.2022

A new model for the formation of the lunar crust
In a new study published in Geophysical Research Letters, two scientists - Chloé Michaut from Ecole normale supérieure de Lyon 1 and Jerome A. Neufeld from University of Cambridge 2 , propose a new model of crystallization of the lunar magma ocean where the crystals remain suspended in the lunar interior and the formation of the crust only begins once a critical crystal content is reached.

Earth Sciences - 12.01.2022

SUERC contributes to new study dating earliest human remains in eastern Africa
The age of the oldest fossils in eastern Africa widely recognised as representing our species, Homo sapiens, has long been uncertain. Now, dating of a massive volcanic eruption in Ethiopia reveals they are much older than previously thought. The remains - known as Omo I - were found in Ethiopia in the late 1960s, and scientists have been attempting to date them precisely ever since, by using the chemical fingerprints of volcanic ash layers found above and below the sediments in which the fossils were found.

Earth Sciences - 07.01.2022

Proposed Updates to Steel Building Standard Could Enhance Earthquake Resilience
Since the mid-1990s, a type of steel column that commonly features slender cross-sectional elements has become more prevalent in buildings along the West Coast of the United States and in other seismically active regions. Although these columns have complied with modern design standards, our understanding of how they would perform during an earthquake has been limited by a lack of full-scale testing.

Astronomy / Space Science - Earth Sciences - 07.01.2022

Eccentric exoplanet discovered
Led by the University of Bern, an international research team has discovered a sub-Neptune exoplanet orbiting a red dwarf star. The discovery was also made thanks to observations performed by the SAINT-EX observatory in Mexico. SAINT-EX is run by a consortium including the Center for Space and Habitability (CSH) at the University of Bern and the National Center of Competence in Research NCCR PlanetS.

Life Sciences - Earth Sciences - 06.01.2022

Southern California mountain lions show first reproductive effects of inbreeding
Southern California cougars often make the news with their litters of oh-so-cute kittens, but a UCLA-led study suggests that these mountain lions may soon find it much harder to reproduce due to a lack of genetic diversity. Scientists tracking two local mountain lion populations, one in the Santa Monica Mountains and another in the Santa Anas, have identified the first reproductive signs of inbreeding among these groups, which are cut off from other cougar populations — and therefore breeding options — by busy freeways.

Earth Sciences - 31.12.2021

Leftovers of Earth’s dramatic formation
Researchers have uncovered the most detail ever of the mysterious structures laying between the Earth's mantle and core, also providing the strongest evidence yet they started life as an ocean of molten magma that eventually sunk. The team of international researchers, including scientists from The Australian National University (ANU), used thousands of computer-modelled seismic waves to examine Ultra-Low Velocity Zones (ULVZs) beneath the Coral Sea between Australia and New Zealand.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 23.12.2021

Controlled burning of natural environments could help offset our carbon emissions
Planting trees and suppressing wildfires do not necessarily maximise the carbon storage of natural ecosystems. A new study has found that prescribed burning can actually lock in or increase carbon in the soils of temperate forests, savannahs and grasslands. When managed properly, fire can be good - both for maintaining biodiversity and for carbon storage Adam Pellegrini The finding points to a new method of manipulating the world's natural capacity for carbon capture and storage, which can also help to maintain natural ecosystem processes.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 22.12.2021

Safer carbon capture and storage
Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels have increased significantly over the last 50 years, resulting in higher global temperatures and abrupt changes to Earth's climate. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is one of the new technologies that scientists hope will play an important role in tackling the climate crisis.

Earth Sciences - Environment - 21.12.2021

Microplastic discovered in ’pristine’ Pyrenees mountain air
Previously detected in rivers, oceans, and snow, 1 microplastic has now been found in the high-altitude air surrounding the Pic du Midi (2,877 m)-by an international research team including scientists from the CNRS, Université Grenoble Alpes, 2 and the University of Strathclyde (Scotland). After analysing the composition of 10,000 m3 of air captured weekly by a pump installed at the Pic du Midi Observatory, 3 the researchers report a microplastic concentration of approximately one particle per 4 m3.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 20.12.2021

Could life be making its own habitable environment in the clouds of Venus?
Scientists have proposed a new theory which suggests that possible lifeforms in the clouds of Venus could be setting off a cascade of chemical reactions that is making the environment much more habitable. This self-sustaining chain of events could also explain many of the strange anomalies present in the planet's upper atmosphere that have been puzzling scientists for decades.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 17.12.2021

The climate system relies on microscopic particles
Scientists from EPFL and the Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO) have discovered a new source of organic phosphorus that is fertilizing remote marine ecosystems via atmospheric particles. This finding could help researchers better understand how marine ecosystems respond to climate change.

Earth Sciences - 15.12.2021

Swaying mountains
The Matterhorn appears as an immovable, massive mountain that has towered over the landscape near Zermatt for thousands of years. A study now shows that this impression is wrong. An international research team has proven that the Matterhorn is instead constantly in motion, swaying gently back and forth about once every two seconds.

Earth Sciences - Physics - 13.12.2021

Plastic snowfall in the Alps
In a large-scale fundraising campaign, popular YouTubers like Mister Beast and Mark Rober are currently trying to rid the oceans of almost 14,000 tonnes of plastic waste. That's about 0.15 per cent of the amount that ends up in the oceans every year. But it's not just our waters that are full of plastic.

Earth Sciences - 13.12.2021

Spice world - Earth’s early oceans may have been heavy on the salt
Yale scientists say Earth's ancient oceans likely were much saltier than they are today - a finding that may spice up our understanding of how life, atmosphere, and climate evolved on the planet. In a new study, Yale professor of Earth & planetary sciences Jun Korenaga and graduate student Meng Guo suggest that for the first 500 million years of Earth's existence, its oceans may have contained a salt level as high as 7.5%.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 07.12.2021

Belgian research cracks mangrove puzzle
VUB research uncovers factors that prevent mangroves from spreading in South America Mangrove ecosystems are distributed around the world, along tropical and subtropical coastlines. However, they do not extend beyond certain latitudes, even though the sites seem suitable for them. VUB researcher Ari Ximenes, with researchers from ULB and UCLouvain, has now cracked this question among mangrove bio-geographers, by studying sites off the eastern coast of South America.

Earth Sciences - Environment - 30.11.2021

Summer rains in American Southwest are not your typical monsoon
The core of the annual North American monsoon is centered over western Mexico (blue oval) and transports water vapor northward into the southwestern U.S., as illustrated by the arrows. Colors represent average summer rainfall in centimeters/day. (UC Berkeley graphic by William Boos) The months-long rainy season, or monsoon, that drenches northwestern Mexico each summer, reaching into Arizona and New Mexico and often as far north as Colorado and Northern California, is unlike any monsoon in the world, according to a new analysis by an earth scientist from the University of California, Berkeley.

Earth Sciences - Computer Science - 29.11.2021

Artificial intelligence could be used to accurately predict tsunamis
A reliable early warning system to detect tsunamis could be a step closer thanks to research from Cardiff University. Researchers say their analysis of ocean soundwaves triggered by underwater earthquakes has enabled them to develop artificial intelligence (AI) that allow prediction of when a tsunami might occur.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 24.11.2021

Network records Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions
An article in the scientific journal "Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society" describes for the first time how the European ICOS network ("Integrated Carbon Observation System") helps to better understand the function of carbon sinks and to assess the effects of climate change on them. Half of the carbon emissions released to the atmosphere by fossil fuel use are re-captured by the ocean and land ecosystems.

Earth Sciences - Astronomy / Space Science - 23.11.2021

Analysis of Mars’s wind-induced vibrations sheds light on the planet’s subsurface properties
Seismic data collected in Elysium Planitia, the second largest volcanic region on Mars, suggest the presence of a shallow sedimentary layer sandwiched between lava flows beneath the planet's surface. These findings were gained in the framework of NASA's InSight mission (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport), in which several international research partners, including the University of Cologne, collaborate.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 23.11.2021

Evidence of a warming planet high in the Earth’s atmosphere
An international team of scientists has provided further evidence of climate change by measuring the expansion of the troposphere - the lowest layer of the Earth's atmosphere - which is being driven by rising temperatures. The researchers tracked the altitude of the upper limit of the troposphere, called the tropopause, from 1980 to 2020.