Topic: Geophysical Research Letters
All Content
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With Arctic sea ice vulnerable, summer melt season begins briskly (+video)
The Arctic saw a record loss of summer sea ice in 2012, and the 2013 melt is off to a faster start than a year ago. Another record is uncertain, but warming has sapped the ice's staying power.
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China temperature spikes linked to burning of fossil fuels
A new study from Chinese and Canadian researchers links the burning of fossil fuels to China's rise in its daily temperature spikes. China emits more greenhouse gas than the next two biggest carbon polluters – the US and India – combined.
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Volcanic eruptions might lessen greenhouse effects
Chemicals emitted during volcanic eruptions might have helped reduce the effects of global warming, suggests new research. A larger volcano could have a much bigger cooling effect.
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On thin ice: As Arctic Ocean warms, a scramble to understand its weather
Increasing summer ice melt in the Arctic Ocean could shift global weather patterns and make polar waters more navigable. But scientists say forecasting Arctic ice and weather remains a massive challenge.
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Melting Arctic snow threatens to leave seals out in the cold
Ringed seals are currently under consideration for threatened species listing.
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Arctic sea ice falls to record low. Global warming?
The decline in sea ice coincides with warming at the top of the world that has been occurring twice as fast there as it has for the northern hemisphere as a whole as the global climate warms.
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Mayan collapse mystery solved? Deforestation exacerbated a drought
Mayan collapse: One new study blames the collapse of the Mayan empire on deforestation combined with drought. Environmental and trade problems caused the Mayan collapse, says another new study.
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Evidence for ancient life on Mars could be just below surface, new study finds (+video)
Researchers say that evidence of ancient life on Mars could take the form of simple organic molecules lying just beneath the Red Planet's surface, and that it could be detectable by NASA's newest rover, which is scheduled to touch down on the planet next month.
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Plastic pollution underestimated, say scientists
There's more plastic polluting the world's oceans than previously thought, according to a new study. Earlier studies failed to include the role of wind.
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Saturn's frigid moon holds wisps of oxygen, scientists say
After the Cassini probe's flyby over Dione, Saturn's cratered icy moon, scientists have found strong evidence of a thin layer of oxygen in its atmosphere.
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Oxygen atmosphere found on distant Saturn moon Dione (+video)
Dione's atmosphere was detected by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, which spotted an ultra-thin layer of oxygen ions so sparse that it is equivalent to conditions 300 miles above Earth.
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Is Mars sucking water from its own atmosphere?
Salty soils on Mars act to collect moisture from the Red Planet's atmosphere, according to new research. The salt and the moisture combine to create a brine that may encourage nutrients.
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Sky actually falling, report scientists
A study of clouds over the last 10 years has found that their altitude has been declining, perhaps offsetting some global warming.
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Massive volcanic eruptions caused Little Ice Age, froze the Thames
The research, which looked at chemical clues preserved in Arctic vegetation as well as other data, also pinpointed the start of the Little Ice Age to the end of the 13th century.
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Japan's earthquake actually altered Earth's gravity, scientists find
The 9.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan in March was the fifth most powerful earthquake ever recorded. The quake also altered the distribution of the Earth's mass, affecting the pull of gravity near the epicenter.
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Mysteriously swelling Yellowstone supervolcano 'not a portent of doom,' finds mostly reassuring study
For reasons that are not clear, the huge volcano under Yellowstone National Park has been rising at an unprecedented rate during the past several years. But that doesn't necessarily mean that a massive, doomsday eruption is about to happen, finds a study that manages to put everyone at ease, more or less.
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Winter's freezing, so what's with Arctic sea ice?
An unusually warm January has limited the return of Arctic sea ice, whose extent set a record low for the month. The ice's ability to reflect sunlight back into space has a significant influence on climate worldwide.
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Space tourism will drive climate change, study suggests
As space tourism increases, the soot and carbon dioxide emitted from rockets will contribute to climate change, new computer models predict.
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Gulf oil spill plume stretches 22 miles, not breaking down much
US and Australian scientists measured the plume from the Gulf oil spill during a research cruise. The findings are published Thursday.
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Huge spacequakes shaking Earth's magnetic field
A new study has found that spacequakes – tremors in the Earth's magnetosphere caused by plasma ejected from the sun – tend to pack a punch.
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Alaskan glacier detaches itself from seafloor, goes rogue
The study of Columbia Glacier shows the first detailed observation of a glacier undergoing a transition from grounded to floating.
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Earth's upper atmosphere collapses. Nobody knows why.
The thermosphere recently collapsed in an unexpectedly large contraction, the sheer size of which has scientists scratching their heads.
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Huge Amazon storm killed half a billion trees, study finds
A violent Amazon storm in 2005 killed an estimated 441 million to 663 million trees, a new study finds, a much greater number than previously suspected.
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Is the moon radioactive? Lunar map shows low amounts of uranium.
Uranium on the moon: A new moon map might dash hopes for those who want to build a lunar nuclear power plant, but may also offer clues to the moon's formation.
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Massive blob of scorching magma discovered under southern Africa
A huge plume of molten rock that is linked to volcanic eruptions has been detected below southern Africa.
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