https://phys.org/earth-news/earth-sciences/ en-us The latest news on earth sciences and the environment The state of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) has been a hot topic among climate scientists in recent years. The AMOC is crucial for climate regulation because it pulls warm surface water from the tropics north and sends colder, deeper water south, redistributing large amounts of heat, helping to sustain marine ecosystems and keeping global weather patterns steady. However, most standard AMOC-focused climate models may be missing an important piece of the puzzle—they don't include the growing pulse of freshwater from Greenland ice melt, which could further disrupt the AMOC. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-greenland-meltwater-amoc-weakening-sight.html Earth Sciences Sat, 04 Jul 2026 13:00:01 EDT news702218339 The Southern Ocean has long stood out as an oddity in the global climate system. While most of the planet's surface oceans have warmed in response to rising greenhouse gases, waters circling Antarctica showed an unexpected tendency to cool during the late 20th and early 21st centuries. This cooling coincided with a period when Antarctic sea ice briefly expanded before its more recent decline, adding to the mystery. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-antarctic-ozone-loss-drove-unexpected.html Earth Sciences Fri, 03 Jul 2026 13:20:01 EDT news702288123 The Congo River is the second-largest river in the world, releasing an average of 40,000 cubic meters of water per second into the Atlantic Ocean. This huge discharge rate creates a large plume of fresh water that fans out 800 kilometers (500 miles) offshore. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-congo-river-freshwater-day-atlantic.html Earth Sciences Fri, 03 Jul 2026 07:20:04 EDT news702225861 Many of the boulders scattered across the Swiss landscape did not originate where they now stand. Instead, they were carried by ice nearly 24,000 years ago. For the first time, researchers at the University of Lausanne (UNIL) have reconstructed the journeys of these giant rocks across the entire Alpine region using a simulation. The model makes it possible to visualize the paths taken by millions of rocks that helped shape today's landscapes. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-simulation-reveals-glaciers-alps-years.html Earth Sciences Thu, 02 Jul 2026 19:20:05 EDT news702225721 Prescribed fires are vital for reducing wildfire risk and sustaining forest biodiversity. But they also contribute significantly to air pollution and smoke exposure, according to new research from the University of Georgia. The issue is especially pertinent to the southeastern United States, where 60% of all prescribed fires in the country occur. More than 20% of the fine-particle pollution in the southeastern U.S. can be attributed to prescribed burns, the study found. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-generate-fine-particle-pollution-southeastern.html Earth Sciences Thu, 02 Jul 2026 16:20:01 EDT news702221281 Scientists have uncovered why Antarctica became engulfed by ice millions of years before the Arctic. The international research, published in Science, helps solve one of climate science's longest-standing puzzles: how a vast ice sheet could form when Earth was around 5°C warmer than today. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-scientists-uncover-antarctica-engulfed-ice.html Earth Sciences Thu, 02 Jul 2026 14:00:10 EDT news702200761 Nearly 660 kilometers (410 miles) beneath Earth's surface lies one of the planet's most important internal boundaries. Known as the 660-km seismic discontinuity, it separates the mantle transition zone from the lower mantle and plays a central role in controlling how heat and materials circulate through Earth's interior. This circulation helps drive mantle convection, plate tectonics, volcanic activity and the long-term evolution of the planet. Although scientists have generally attributed this boundary to the breakdown of the mineral ringwoodite into bridgmanite and ferropericlase, that explanation has struggled to account for the complex structures detected by seismic observations beneath subduction zones and mantle plumes. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-hidden-role-garnet-reveals-earth.html Earth Sciences Thu, 02 Jul 2026 13:00:07 EDT news702210516 A research group led by Satoshi Ide from the University of Tokyo has demonstrated that classic earthquake generation theory does not hold in areas where the angle at which a tectonic plate dips under another is sufficiently low. The discovery explains why giant earthquakes can form in such areas, providing a theoretical basis to extend observation efforts to previously overlooked features. The findings are published in Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-giant-earthquakes-fault-planes-theory.html Earth Sciences Wed, 01 Jul 2026 14:00:08 EDT news702049681 In recent years, the frequency of weather-related natural disasters—cyclones, torrential rains, floods—has increased as a consequence of global warming. These disasters cause billions of dollars in damage and losses every year. As a result, there is great interest in weather control, the process by which human intervention can deliberately alter the weather. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-black-optimization-weather-intervention-method.html Earth Sciences Wed, 01 Jul 2026 10:35:39 EDT news702120901 Two diamonds formed 700 kilometers below the Earth's surface reveal a life-giving synchronicity between shifting continents and the cycling of phosphorus, a vital building block of DNA and cell membranes. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-super-deep-diamond-discovery-rewrite.html Earth Sciences Tue, 30 Jun 2026 16:40:04 EDT news702042162 Isoprene is a volatile organic compound (VOC) that is produced naturally by plants. More than 500 megatonnes of isoprene are emitted each year into Earth's atmosphere, primarily from tropical forests. Soils are recognized sinks for atmospheric isoprene, but their behavior in natural environments remains poorly understood, particularly in the Amazon, where emissions are globally significant. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-extreme-droughts-rainforest-important-feedback.html Earth Sciences Tue, 30 Jun 2026 16:30:01 EDT news702053582 The Tibetan Plateau, together with the Hindu Kush–Karakorum–Himalaya region, has more snow and ice than any other region on Earth apart from the polar regions. As a result, this high-altitude region is particularly sensitive to climate change, making it especially important in analyzing its impacts. In recent years, researchers from the DFG Research Training Group TransTiP have been investigating changes in the region's geo-ecosystems. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-industrial-era-pollution-reshape-tibetan.html Earth Sciences Tue, 30 Jun 2026 14:50:01 EDT news702047761 High-resolution sediment analyses from the Arabian Sea reveal, for the first time, that summer and winter monsoons respond differently to global climate change. The study enhances understanding of past precipitation patterns and could help refine climate models for regions influenced by monsoons. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-arabian-sea-sediments-reveal-summer.html Earth Sciences Tue, 30 Jun 2026 12:20:08 EDT news702031981 Research by atmospheric scientists at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography and colleagues pinpointed an individual coal-fired power plant in Houston as the main source of particles most likely to encourage the formation of clouds around the metropolitan area. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-houston-power-emerges-dominant-source.html Earth Sciences Tue, 30 Jun 2026 12:00:06 EDT news702031861 Oceanic transform faults are strike-slip boundaries—faults that move horizontally rather than up and down and connect offset mid-ocean ridge segments. They have long been regarded as simple "conservative" plate boundaries that slide past each other without creating or destroying Earth's crust. However, mounting evidence suggests that these faults are influenced by magmatism and hydrothermal circulation, exhibiting complex three-dimensional structures. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-cyclic-drainage-gofar-oceanic-fault.html Earth Sciences Mon, 29 Jun 2026 17:30:01 EDT news701968021 An international expedition including University of Sydney researchers has pieced together the clearest picture yet of how the Great Barrier Reef responded to dramatic environmental change over the past 30,000 years. Multiple studies since the expedition more than 10 years ago have traced the reef's retreat, regrowth and repeated collapse from the last ice age to the dawn of the modern reef. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-great-barrier-reef-drilling-reveals.html Earth Sciences Mon, 29 Jun 2026 17:20:08 EDT news701956786 The Antarctic ozone hole was discovered in 1985, when scientists observed a severe depletion in Earth's protective layer of stratospheric ozone. Industrial chemicals known as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), then widely used as refrigerants, propellants, foam-blowing agents and solvents, were at the root of the ozone depletion. After a concerted global effort to phase out the use of CFCs, ozone today is recovering, especially in the Antarctic. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ozone-depletion-began-decades-discovery.html Earth Sciences Mon, 29 Jun 2026 15:00:11 EDT news701949361 New research led by the University of New England's Dr. Timothy Chapman has uncovered the trigger behind slow earthquakes, providing valuable answers for those living in disaster-prone areas. The research has been published in Geology. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-uncovering-trigger-earthquakes.html Earth Sciences Mon, 29 Jun 2026 13:00:09 EDT news701953622 In the aftermath of back-to-back earthquakes in northern Venezuela, which by Friday had killed more than 500 people and left thousands injured, experts in resilience planning have emphasized the increasing importance of disaster preparedness in earthquake-prone California. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-deadly-venezuela-earthquakes-tremor-prone.html Earth Sciences Mon, 29 Jun 2026 11:40:04 EDT news701947921 Human-driven climate change significantly intensified the retreat of one of the most important glaciers in Antarctica during the 20th century. The Pine Island Glacier, which drains a large part of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet into the Amundsen Sea, is one of the biggest contributors to global sea level rise. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-human-driven-retreat-antarctica-fastest.html Earth Sciences Sun, 28 Jun 2026 19:00:01 EDT news701682108 For decades, scientists have searched for a clear link between the sun's explosive storms and the weather that occurs on Earth. A breakthrough study from the University of New Hampshire reveals that in the hours and days following a solar storm, parts of North America can see sharp changes in the weather—such as declines in precipitation—and the more powerful the storm, the more dramatic the shift. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-sun-outbursts-briefly-weaken-events.html Earth Sciences Sun, 28 Jun 2026 10:00:04 EDT news701531775 Scientists investigating a proposed way to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere using seawater have found that adding too much alkalinity to neutralize acids can trigger chemical reactions that undermine the process. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-coastal-estuarine-carbon-technique-backfire.html Earth Sciences Sat, 27 Jun 2026 09:40:01 EDT news701342319 The Himalayas are often seen as one of Earth's great natural barriers, separating the heavily populated and industrialized regions of South Asia from the remote Tibetan Plateau. But new research, published in Geophysical Research Letters, suggests that this mountain range is not an impenetrable wall for air pollution. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-coal-pollution-earth-remote-mountain.html Earth Sciences Fri, 26 Jun 2026 18:00:01 EDT news701690585 Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) led one of the first global assessments of how marine ecosystems responded during the first year when global temperatures temporarily exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ocean-15c-triggered-year-marine.html Earth Sciences Fri, 26 Jun 2026 16:40:01 EDT news701700662 New research by Brown University geologists confirms that the Aleutian Islands, the archipelago stretching from Alaska to Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, experienced a massive geological uplift between 5 million and 7 million years ago. The researchers conclude that the uplift—a rising of the Earth's crust that pushed the islands upward and transformed their topography—was driven by an ancient rotation of the Pacific tectonic plate, which subducts beneath the North American plate near the Alaska Peninsula and the North Pacific. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-pacific-plate-rotation-gave-alaska.html Earth Sciences Fri, 26 Jun 2026 12:40:03 EDT news701694242 The eastern tropical Pacific Ocean is known for its large low-oxygen zones that are increasing in size, putting marine life at risk. New research shows that 15 million years ago, the opposite was true. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ancient-ocean-circulation-reversed-atlantic.html Earth Sciences Fri, 26 Jun 2026 10:40:02 EDT news701685182 Freshwater ecosystems worldwide have been suffering from declining oxygen levels—a trend known as deoxygenation—that threatens biodiversity, fisheries and ecosystem stability. However, a new study published in Nature Geoscience offers hope: targeted nutrient management via wastewater control can reverse this trajectory, even in the face of rapid climate warming. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-wastewater-reverses-widespread-freshwater-deoxygenation.html Earth Sciences Fri, 26 Jun 2026 05:00:02 EDT news701604784 For nearly 50 years, scientists have suspected that microscopic marine plankton play a role in cloud formation over the oceans. Now, an experiment led by the University of Helsinki suggests that it may be more important than previously thought. The findings are published in the journal Nature. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-plankton-linked-vapors-cloud-seed.html Earth Sciences Thu, 25 Jun 2026 18:00:01 EDT news701617972 Forests and land play an important role in absorbing carbon dioxide emissions, but current models and forecasts don't incorporate a surprising ecological discovery: Despite more available carbon, climate change and warmer temperatures are slowing forest growth. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-forest-growth-carbon-storage.html Earth Sciences Thu, 25 Jun 2026 17:20:03 EDT news701617905 To understand where Earth might be headed, it's important to know where it has been. Throughout its existence, especially over the past couple of million years, Earth has experienced periodic cold and warm intervals, known as glacial and interglacial periods. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-fossil-fish-tooth-chemistry-uncovers.html Earth Sciences Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:00:04 EDT news701617329