Earth Sciences news

Peruvian glacial retreats linked to European events of Little Ice Age

Sep 24, 2009 | 4 / 5 (5) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study that reports precise ages for glacial moraines in southern Peru links climate swings in the tropics to those of Europe and North America during the Little Ice Age approximately ...

Scientists discover Amazon river is 11 million years old

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

Jul 29, 2009 | 4.4 / 5 (7) | 4

Researchers at the University of Liverpool have discovered that the Amazon river, and its transcontinental drainage, is around 11 million years old and took its present shape about 2.4 million years ago.

A Hidden Drip, Drip, Drip Beneath Earth's Surface

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

May 26, 2009 | 4.8 / 5 (13) | 4

(PhysOrg.com) -- There are very few places in the world where dynamic activity taking place beneath Earth's surface goes undetected.

Caltech researchers link tiny sea creatures to large-scale ocean mixing

150 years later, Darwin vindicated... by jellyfish: Researchers link tiny sea creatures to large-scale ocean mixing

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

Jul 29, 2009 | 4.6 / 5 (21) | 10

(PhysOrg.com) -- Creatures large and small may play an important role in the stirring of ocean waters, according to a study released Wednesday that confirms a theory advanced by Charles Darwin.

Methane gas likely spewing into the oceans through vents in sea floor (w/ Video)

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

Sep 02, 2009 | 4.2 / 5 (10) | 8

(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists worry that rising global temperatures accompanied by melting permafrost in arctic regions will initiate the release of underground methane into the atmosphere. Once released, that ...

A runaway spurt of global warming 55 million years ago turned Earth into a hothouse, scientists said

Mystery mechanism drove global warming 55 million years ago

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

Jul 13, 2009 | 4.3 / 5 (25) | 24

A runaway spurt of global warming 55 million years ago turned Earth into a hothouse but how this happened remains worryingly unclear, scientists said on Monday.

Consulting with clouds: A clear role in climate change

Study shows strong evidence that cloud changes may exacerbate global warming

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

Jul 23, 2009 | 4.4 / 5 (56) | 15

The role of clouds in climate change has been a major question for decades. As the earth warms under increasing greenhouse gases, it is not known whether clouds will dissipate, letting in more of the sun's ...

Geoscientist offers new evidence that meteorite did not wipe out dinosaurs

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

May 04, 2009 | 4.5 / 5 (21) | 28

A Princeton University geoscientist who has stirred controversy with her studies challenging a popular theory that an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs has compiled powerful new evidence asserting her position.

Climate studies to benefit from 12 years of satellite aerosol data

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

Nov 10, 2009 | 1 / 5 (1) | 0

Aerosols, very small particles suspended in the air, play an important role in the global climate balance and in regulating climate change. They are one of the greatest sources of uncertainty in climate change ...

Scientist develops lab machine to study glacial sliding related to rising sea levels

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

Nov 10, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

Neal Iverson opened his laboratory's walk-in freezer and said the one-of-a-kind machine inside could help scientists understand how glaciers slide across their beds. And that could help researchers predict ...

The GOES-12 satellite sees Large Hurricane Ida nearing landfall

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

Nov 09, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

Residents of the U.S. Gulf coast thought they were getting a break this hurricane season until Ida showed up. Today, November 9, Ida is a hurricane and is headed for a landfall in the western Florida Panhandle ...

Ice Sheets Can Retreat 'In a Geologic Instant,' Study of Prehistoric Glacier Shows

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

Jun 21, 2009 | 4.5 / 5 (61) | 20

(PhysOrg.com) -- Modern glaciers, such as those making up the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, are capable of undergoing periods of rapid shrinkage or retreat, according to new findings by paleoclimatologists ...

GOES satellite sees bulk of Ida's clouds and rain inland while center making landfall

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

Nov 10, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

Tropical Storm Ida made landfall around 6:40 a.m. ET this morning on Dauphin Island, along the Alabama coastline. NASA's GOES Project created the latest image from Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite ...

Ocean acidification may contribute to global shellfish decline

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

Oct 26, 2009 | 2.7 / 5 (7) | 2

Relatively minor increases in ocean acidity brought about by high levels of carbon dioxide have significant detrimental effects on the growth, development, and survival of hard clams, bay scallops, and Eastern ...

Listening to rocks helps researchers better understand earthquakes

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

Aug 17, 2009 | 5 / 5 (7) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- When Apollo punished King Midas by giving him donkey ears, only the king and his barber knew. Unable to keep a secret, the barber dug a hole, whispered into it, "King Midas has donkey ears," ...