Sedimentation is the physical process by which particulate matter suspended in a fluid medium settles under the influence of gravity or centrifugal forces, leading to spatial segregation based on particle size, density, and shape. In research contexts it underpins techniques such as analytical and preparative centrifugation, sedimentation velocity and equilibrium methods, and sedimentation-based separation in environmental and geological studies. Sedimentation dynamics are described by Stokes’ law in the laminar regime, with deviations at higher Reynolds numbers. It critically influences transport and fate of contaminants, biogeochemical cycling of particulates, formation of stratified deposits, and clarification processes in engineered systems such as water and wastewater treatment.
Traces or perforations caused by living organisms after an animal's death can be found on various dinosaur bone remains. These perforations, known as bioerosion structures, provide information that helps us understand relationships ...
Ecology
Jun 26, 2026
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289
Reservoirs around the world are losing storage capacity at an average rate of 7.3% per decade—disproportionately affecting small reservoirs, which together provide water to billions of people. The data come from a study published ...
Environment
Jun 5, 2026
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62
Can "snow" fall in the ocean and influence the climate of the entire planet? It turns out that it can. Research conducted by scientists from the Faculty of Physics at University of Warsaw, published in the Journal of Fluid ...
Earth Sciences
May 14, 2026
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22
Geologists have solved the mystery of the disappearance from the geological record, millions of years ago, of one of North America's most important waterways: the Colorado River. A paper published in Science shows that the ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 17, 2026
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1261
The analysis of a sediment core from an oasis lake in Chad provides new insights into the history of precipitation in the Sahara. The study, led by the University of Cologne, shows that a prolonged wet phase, which lasted ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 26, 2026
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21
A new study using multidecade satellite imagery and face-to-face human interviews tracked the environmental and societal impacts of gravel mining in the Lubha River, Northeast Bangladesh. The researchers found that the river ...
Environment
Mar 12, 2026
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10
In some parts of the deep ocean, it can look like it's snowing. This "marine snow" is the dust and detritus that organisms slough off as they die and decompose. Marine snow can fall several kilometers to the deepest parts ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 9, 2026
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24
New findings from NASA's Perseverance rover have revealed evidence of wave-formed beaches and rocks altered by subsurface water in a Martian crater that once held a vast lake—considerably expanding the timeline for potential ...
Astrobiology
Jan 27, 2026
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240
Atmospheric dust plays an important role in the way Earth absorbs and reflects sunlight, impacting the global climate, cloud formation, and precipitation. Much of this dust comes from the continuous reshaping of Earth's surface ...
Earth Sciences
Dec 3, 2025
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44
A build-up of ultra-fine sediment in riverbeds is creating oxygen-starved conditions that threaten fish spawning grounds and freshwater invertebrates, new research on the River Taw in Devon has revealed. The study is published ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 21, 2025
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14
