Phys.org Earth Science

• Slickrock: Geoscientists explore why Utah's Wasatch Fault is vulnerable to earthquakes

  About 240 miles long, Utah's Wasatch Fault stretches along the western edge of the Wasatch Mountains from southern Idaho to central Utah, running through Salt Lake City and the state's other population centers. It's a seismically active normal fault, which means it is a fracture in Earth's crust that has moved many times in the past.

• Thawing permafrost dots Siberia with rash of mounds

  In the vast white expanse around Churapcha in eastern Siberia, the ever more rapid thaw of the permafrost is changing the landscape, cracking up houses and releasing greenhouse gases.

• Close exploration of mineral extraction may enable a better understanding of the impact of deep-sea mining

  The ocean's deep-sea bed is scattered with ancient rocks, each about the size of a closed fist, called "polymetallic nodules." Elsewhere, along active and inactive hydrothermal vents and the deep ocean's ridges, volcanic arcs, and tectonic plate boundaries, and on the flanks of seamounts, lie other types of mineral-rich deposits containing high-demand minerals.

• Chemicals released by climbing shoe abrasion could lead to lung issues for climbers in indoor environments

  Those who climb indoors are doing something for their health. But climbing shoes contain chemicals of concern that can enter the lungs of climbers through the abrasion of the soles.

• Smartphone apps claim to assess hot weather threats. But are they accurate?

  A recent study from the University of Georgia published in GeoHealth found a smartphone application designed to assess heat-related risks frequently reported temperatures that were lower than those recorded through direct on-site measurements.

• Hard-to-avoid emissions: Study finds limited potential for marine carbon dioxide removal in Germany's seas

  Increasing the natural uptake of carbon dioxide by the ocean or storing captured CO₂ under the seabed are currently being discussed in Germany as potential ways to offset unavoidable residual emissions and achieve the country's goal of greenhouse gas neutrality by 2045.

• Aquatic sediment layers reveal 100 years of metal pollution in São Paulo, Brazil

  The history of metal pollution in the city of São Paulo, the largest metropolis in Brazil and the Southern Hemisphere, can be read in the layers of sediment accumulated over the last century.

• Diverse tree populations can make cities more climate-resilient and people happier

  Green spaces play an important role for urban populations, whether by protecting against extreme weather events or providing space for recreation. In two studies, researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) show just how much a diverse tree population affects the microclimate, rainwater seepage and human well-being. Their results have been published in the journals Sustainable Cities and Society and Scientific Reports.

• The world needs climate change leadership. It's time for China to step up

  The second Trump administration has announced various anti-climate policies under its "America first" strategy. Leaving the Paris agreement, kicking off a trade war, shutting down USAid and drilling for more oil and gas will not only undermine the US's international reputation but will undermine the global effort to combat climate change.

• How climate change turned Sao Paulo's drizzle into a storm

  Such was Sao Paulo's reputation for "garoa"—a fine evening drizzle caused by damp air from the nearby coast colliding with the city's cool climes—that famous singer Caetana Veloso waxed lyrical about it in his 1978 hit

• One billion years ago, a meteorite struck Scotland and influenced life on Earth

  We've discovered that a meteorite struck northwest Scotland 1 billion years ago, 200 million years later than previously thought. Our results are published today in the journal Geology.

• NZ government plans to regulate carbon capture technologies—but who will be the regulating agency?

  Newly released documents add more detail to the New Zealand government's plans for a regulatory framework to enable carbon capture and storage.

• Five ways to make cities more resilient to climate change

  Climate breakdown poses immense threats to global economies, societies and ecosystems. Adapting to these impacts is urgent. But many cities and countries remain chronically unprepared in what the UN calls an "adaptation gap."

• Here's how to make your backyard safer and cooler next summer

  Our backyards should be safe and inviting spaces all year round, including during the summer months.

• PFAS are polluting the Arctic, threatening both humans and animals

  Scientists say that PFAS, nicknamed "forever chemicals," are building up in animals like polar bears, seals, and birds and at alarming levels in the Arctic. People living in the Arctic, they add, are also in danger because they rely on traditional foods such as marine mammals whose meat is already contaminated.

• Platform seeks to lower the barriers to using artificial intelligence in weather research

  Artificial intelligence is driving a seismic shift in how we approach weather forecasting, with a flurry of new AI weather prediction models debuting in recent years that have a number of potential advantages over traditional models. These include faster speeds, reduced demand for computing resources, and improved forecast performance for some weather phenomena, especially over longer time periods.

• Scientists discover surface carbonates can transport heavy boron isotopes into deep mantle

  Volatiles are crucial for sustaining life and Earth's habitability, with subduction zones being the main pathways for these materials to enter the mantle. However, the devolatilization of subducting slabs may impede the recycling of volatiles like carbon. Boron, a moderately volatile element with strong fluid mobility, serves as a useful tracer for tracking the recycling of volatiles through its isotopic composition (δ¹¹B).

• Billion-year-old impact in Scotland sparks questions about life on land

  New Curtin University research has revealed that a massive meteorite struck northwestern Scotland about 200 million years later than previously thought, in a discovery that not only rewrites Scotland's geological history but alters our understanding of the evolution of non-marine life on Earth.

• Colorado and Denver told owners to cut their buildings' carbon emissions: Did the rules go too far?

  It's not that Intermountain Health refuses to upgrade its Denver hospital and medical clinics so they produce less pollution.

• Rainfall patterns found to trigger extreme humid heat in tropics and subtropics

  Scientists believe they have found a way to improve warning systems for vulnerable communities threatened by humid heat waves, which are on the rise due to climate change and can be damaging and even fatal to human health.

• Noto quake 3D model adds dimension to understand earthquake dynamics

  On New Year's Day 2024, a massive 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula in north central Japan, resulting in extensive damage in the region caused by uplift, when the land rises due to shifting tectonic plates. The observed uplift, however, varied significantly, with some areas experiencing as much as a 5-meter rise in the ground surface.

• High-resolution climate models reveal how Tasman Sea temperatures may influence Antarctic peninsula warming

  The Antarctic Peninsula, one of the fastest-warming regions on Earth, has seen temperatures rise five times faster than the global average in recent decades. Extreme heat events, such as the record-breaking 20.8° C recorded at Seymour Island in February 2020, have raised urgent questions about the drivers behind these dramatic changes.

• Climate change drives more overlapping wildfire seasons in Australia and North America, study finds

  Climate change is increasing the risk of wildfires in many regions of the world. This is due partly to specific weather conditions—known as fire weather—that facilitate the spread of wildfires.

• Eastern Europe's air has become cleaner: Long-term study from Saxony shows decreasing air pollution

  Air pollution with particulate matter smaller than 1 micrometer has fallen by an average of 5% annually in rural Saxony. However, the decreases were particularly marked in air masses coming from Eastern Europe: PM1 concentrations fell by as much as 28% per year.

• NASA 3D wind-measuring laser aims to improve forecasts from air, space

  Since last fall, NASA scientists have flown an advanced 3D Doppler wind lidar instrument across the United States to collect nearly 100 hours of data—including a flight through a hurricane. The goal? To demonstrate the unique capability of the Aerosol Wind Profiler (AWP) instrument to gather extremely precise measurements of wind direction, wind speed, and aerosol concentration—all crucial elements for accurate weather forecasting.