Tag

Earth Science

All articles tagged with #earth science

science1 hour ago•5 min saved

Subduction's Hidden Role in Earth's Oxygen-Breathing Atmosphere

A new study ties Earth’s oxygen buildup to the subduction of carbon and sulfur: when subduction runs cooler, more C and S are carried into the mantle, later returning to the surface via volcanism and scavenging oxygen; warmer subduction releases more of these elements toward the surface, boosting atmospheric O2. The timing matches major oxygenation events (Great Oxygenation ~2.4–2.0 Ga and later boosts) and tracks with the cooling Earth and supercontinent cycles (Columbia, Gondwana, Pangaea). The findings suggest oxygen levels result from a complex interplay of biology, deep Earth chemistry, and plate tectonics.

via Ars Technica|

#atmosphere #earth-science #geology

science6 hours ago•5 min saved

Pacific Core Flow Reversal Reveals Dynamic Earth

Satellite data from 1997–2025 show a portion of Earth's outer core beneath the Pacific reversed its flow from westward to eastward between 2010 and 2012, strengthening through 2020 before weakening again and accounting for about 5% of the outer-core surface flow. This hints that the deep interior is more dynamic than previously thought and may be linked to later geomagnetic jerks; improving our understanding of the geodynamo helps forecast the magnetic field and space weather.

via ScienceAlert|

#earth-science #geodynamo #geomagnetism

earth-science7 days ago•4 min saved

Ancient Lake Agassiz Leaves Fertile Footprint on Canadian Farmland

NASA's Earth Observatory explains that the ancient glacial Lake Agassiz deposited nutrient-rich sediments along the southern shore of Lake Winnipeg, creating the fertile farmland that persists today, shaped by the Dominion Land Survey grid; an April 2026 ISS photo shows snow-covered fields and crops like wheat, barley, oats, and canola in southeastern Manitoba.

via NASA Science (.gov)|

#dominion-land-survey #earth-science #farming

earth-science13 days ago•4 min saved

540-Million-Year-Old Fossils Reclassified as Microbial Life, Not Animals

New high-resolution imaging of 540-million-year-old filaments initially thought to be animal traces finds cellular structures consistent with bacteria or algae, not animals, suggesting an earlier microbial world and adding nuance to interpretations of the Cambrian timeline and fossil preservation.

via Gizmodo|

#algae #bacteria #earth-science

earth-science14 days ago•16 min saved

Geochemical Clues Hint Africa May Be Forming a New Tectonic Boundary

An international Frontiers in Earth Science study found elevated helium isotope ratios and mantle-like CO2 in samples from the Kafue Rift in Central Africa, suggesting mantle fluids are reaching the crust and potentially signaling the early stages of a new plate boundary that could eventually split sub‑Saharan Africa. The result is preliminary, but if confirmed it could open geothermal and other resource opportunities, with follow-up research planned across the Southwest African Rift System.

via Gizmodo|

#africa #earth-science #geochemistry

earth-science14 days ago•4 min saved

Victoria’s Valley Fog and Arch Cloud Captured by NASA

NASA’s Earth Observatory highlights autumn fog in eastern Victoria as the Terra satellite’s MODIS instrument captures morning valley fog in the Victorian Alps and an arch-shaped cloud drifting over Port Phillip Bay. The piece explains radiation fog forms when air cools to the dew point in calm conditions, sinks into valleys, and lingers where terrain shades the ground; nearby breezes interacting with the bay’s terrain likely shaped the arch cloud, which moved south as the fog faded.

via NASA Science (.gov)|

#earth-observation #earth-science #fog

earth-science15 days ago•5 min saved

Colorful Coastal Waters Signal Spring Phytoplankton Blooms Off the Mid-Atlantic

NASA's Earth Observatory used MODIS imagery to show vivid greens and turquoises off the Delaware–New Jersey–Virginia coast, where spring phytoplankton blooms—dominated by diatoms with coccolithophores mixed in—color the shallow Mid-Atlantic Bight; advances from the PACE mission are improving bloom detection in these optically complex coastal waters.

via NASA Science (.gov)|

#coccolithophores #diatoms #earth-science

earth-science19 days ago•4 min saved

Antarctic Vortex Streets: Spirals Form Behind Peter I Island

NASA's Earth Observatory highlights a Landsat 8 image showing von Kármán vortex streets forming downwind of remote Peter I Island in the Bellingshausen Sea, created by Antarctic winds that bend around the island; the spiraling cloud patterns reveal atmospheric eddies around the ice-cloaked volcano, and the piece also notes the island's discovery in 1821, its shield-like summit crater, and past reconnaissance like Operation IceBridge in 2011.

via NASA Science (.gov)|

#antarctica #earth-science #landsat-8

earth-science21 days ago•4 min saved

Ahuachapán’s Volcanic Heat Powers Energy and Signals Hazards

NASA’s Image of the Day spotlights western El Salvador’s Ahuachapán region, where a arc of volcanoes sits above a geothermal field that powers a long-running plant; while Santa Ana and Izalco are notable peaks, the area features fumaroles, hot springs, and steam vents, reflecting a landscape where heat fuels electricity yet can provoke eruptions and evacuations.

via NASA Science (.gov)|

#ahuachapan-geothermal #central-american-volcanic-arc #earth-science

science21 days ago•7 min saved

Ancient Seas, Modern Cliffs: New Study Rewrites the Twelve Apostles’ Origin

A new study in the Australian Journal of Earth Sciences shows the Twelve Apostles formed from Miocene-era seabed rocks, with the Port Campbell Limestone deposited roughly 14 to 8.6 million years ago and a warm interval around 14.1–13.8 million years ago recorded by abundant foraminifera fossils. Tectonic uplift began about 8.6 million years ago, lifting the rocks above sea level and enabling coastal erosion to sculpt headlands, arches, and eventually the sea stacks—an ongoing process following the last ice age. The rocks are ancient, but the iconic formations are geologically recent, highlighting how long-term tectonics and coastal dynamics shape the landscape.”

via Indian Defence Review|

#coastal-erosion #earth-science #foraminifera

earth-science22 days ago•6 min saved

Unprecedented Retreat of Hektoria Glacier Signals Rapid Antarctic Change

NASA's Earth Observatory documents an unusually rapid retreat of Hektoria Glacier on the eastern Antarctic Peninsula, with about 25 km of length lost between 2022 and 2023 (including an 8 km burst), driven by its ice-plain geometry that allows seawater to destabilize the bed and trigger buoyancy-driven calving; the event underscores how even smaller glaciers can contribute to sea level rise, and upcoming missions like NISAR and SWOT will help monitor such rapid changes.

via NASA Science (.gov)|

#antarctic-peninsula #earth-science #glaciers-and-ice-sheets

earth-science27 days ago•3 min saved

Your Backyard Through Time: 320 Million Years of Latitudinal Drift Mapped

A tool called paleolatitude.org, built on the Utrecht Paleogeography Model, lets users input any location to see how its latitude changed over the past 320 million years, aiding paleoclimatology and paleontology by linking rocks to their original plates. It does not show longitude or animate the movement.

via Gizmodo|

#datavisualization #earth-science #paleogeography

science29 days ago•5 min saved

Pacific Ocean Drains Heat Faster, Revealing 400 Million-Year Cooling Imbalance

A 400-million-year computer-model study shows Earth's cooling is uneven: the Pacific hemisphere has shed about 50 Kelvin more heat than Africa, driven by rapid heat loss through the thinner seafloor and the vast Pacific Ocean, while continental regions trap heat; the findings illuminate a long-standing hemispheric heat disparity rooted deep in Earth's tectonic history.

via Indian Defence Review|

#earth-science #geophysics #heat-flow

earth-science1 month ago•8 min saved

PACE Opens a Multispectral Window on Earth’s Oceans, Atmosphere and Life

NASA’s PACE satellite uses hyperspectral imaging and polarimeters to monitor Earth’s oceans, atmosphere, and land—tracking dust and wildfire smoke plumes, mapping three-dimensional cloud structure, identifying ship-induced cloud effects, and detecting phytoplankton types (including diatoms) and blooms such as cyanobacteria in the Great Lakes and Karenia off Australia. These data help warn water managers, support emergency response, and deepen climate and ocean ecosystem understanding, while Artemis II imagery showcases Earth from space.

via NASA Science (.gov)|

#aerosols #earth-science #harmful-algal-bloom

earth-science1 month ago•4 min saved

Green Corridors Along the Capital Beltway: A NASA Earth Observatory View

NASA’s Earth Observatory features an ISS image of the Capital Beltway’s northeast side near Greenbelt, Maryland, highlighting Greenbelt Park and surrounding green spaces amid suburban development, with nearby institutions like the Goddard Space Flight Center and University of Maryland noted; the photo, taken July 30, 2023, captures a landscape shaped by New Deal planning and ongoing preservation of green spaces.

via NASA Science (.gov)|

#earth-observation #earth-science #greenbelt-park