https://phys.org/earth-news/ en-us Earth science research, climate change, and global warming. The latest news and updates from Phys.org Just over half of England has been declared to be in drought after "record-low rainfall and exceptionally high temperatures," the U.K. government said Wednesday. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-england-drought-uk-govt.html Environment Wed, 29 Jul 2026 12:20:06 EDT news704540668 Scientists have discovered a new way to determine how big an earthquake may become just seconds after it begins. In a new study published in Nature Communications, researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Cal Poly Humboldt used signals picked up by fiber-optic cables—the same ones that deliver high-speed internet—to accurately estimate when a moderate to large earthquake is underway using data from the first four seconds of seismic wave arrivals. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-seconds-fiber-optic-cables-earthquake.html Earth Sciences Wed, 29 Jul 2026 12:20:04 EDT news704539710 In a world searching for more sustainable ways to manage waste, the promise of turning "trash into treasure" is hard to ignore. Take nitrate pollution, for example. Every year, nitrogen fertilizers help feed billions of people. But not all of that nitrogen stays where it is needed. Some is washed from farms into rivers, streams and groundwater, where it can contribute to environmental problems, including harmful algal blooms. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-pollution-pay.html Environment Wed, 29 Jul 2026 11:40:04 EDT news704539937 The wildfire that engulfed Spain's Ávila region, northwest of the capital, Madrid, is now considered the largest in the country's modern history, with around 50,000 hectares (193 square miles) burned, the government said this week. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-spain-worst-wildfires-years.html Environment Wed, 29 Jul 2026 11:20:07 EDT news704540692 Winters in Antarctica's Ross Sea have become stormier in recent decades, affecting sea-ice conditions and field operations, new University of Otago—Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka research shows. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-antarctic-storms-frequent-intense-affecting.html Earth Sciences Wed, 29 Jul 2026 11:20:01 EDT news704538961 New research has found that 6.5 million Americans live in homes on or near landslide-prone slopes. With a single map, local governments and residents can now see landslide hazard hotspots at the regional, state and county levels to ensure they are aware of and prepared for an emergency. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-million-americans-landslide-hazard-zones.html Earth Sciences Wed, 29 Jul 2026 09:00:04 EDT news704360642 It seems as if the world is afire this summer. But even as wildfires in Europe and North America grow more extreme, key worldwide burning statistics are at a record low largely because Africa and Asia are controlling fire more. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-wildfires-extreme-europe-north-america.html Environment Wed, 29 Jul 2026 04:15:52 EDT news704517328 On July 23, R/V Kronprins Haakon cast off from the coal quay in Longyearbyen. Around 30 researchers and 20 crew members will spend the next 50 days sailing toward the North Pole as part of the Polhavet 2050 research program. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-arctic-ocean-north-pole.html Earth Sciences Tue, 28 Jul 2026 23:40:01 EDT news704463471 When the Palisades Fire tore through Los Angeles in January 2025, it didn't only destroy homes. It took the Will Rogers Ranch House—a beloved California landmark—with it. Six months later, the Dragon Bravo wildfire burned through Grand Canyon National Park and destroyed the Grand Canyon Lodge, originally built in 1927. Whether either landmark will ever be meaningfully restored remains uncertain. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-thousands-america-historic-landmarks-significant.html Environment Tue, 28 Jul 2026 18:00:04 EDT news704474342 Whether a region manages its land sustainably cannot be measured by land-use change alone. Sustainability is a delicate balance: it must be ecologically sound, legally secure and socially just. Yet capturing this interplay in practice has proven difficult. A research team from Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) and the Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Bogotá has developed a model to understand the complexity of sustainable land use. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-sustainability-automatic-reveals-local-successes.html Environment Tue, 28 Jul 2026 17:40:05 EDT news704470621 Understanding marine life, ecosystems and processes depends on high-quality, publicly available data. The Argo Program is the dominant source of ocean data, helping scientists worldwide assess and track global ocean health. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-argo-sustain-global-ocean-health.html Environment Tue, 28 Jul 2026 17:20:06 EDT news704463509 Every summer, algal blooms turn rivers and lakes green. Although they are widely known as a major form of water pollution that makes water murky, a KAIST research team has now shown for the first time that algal bloom conditions can make discarded plastics, such as plastic bags, more prone to breaking apart, potentially accelerating the formation of microplastics. The study points to a new direction for the era of climate change: water pollution and plastic pollution need to be managed together rather than as separate problems. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-algal-blooms-plastic-weathering-potentially.html Environment Tue, 28 Jul 2026 17:20:01 EDT news704470141 Could taking plant biomass and burying it in the deep, anoxic parts of the ocean be a workable large-scale strategy for carbon sequestration? The concept has intrigued scientists for years, and now a recent international workshop led by UC Santa Barbara researchers has taken the first steps toward developing it. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-international-team-anoxic-marine-basins.html Earth Sciences Tue, 28 Jul 2026 15:00:04 EDT news704463482 In a study conducted by São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Brazil and the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, the presence of chlorinated organophosphorus esters was identified in samples of solid waste—discarded materials that could be used by others. These substances are used in industry as flame retardants and plasticizers. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-potentially-substance-solid.html Environment Tue, 28 Jul 2026 14:20:08 EDT news704459881 Around a quarter of the U.S. food supply is grown in California's Central Valley. Most of its crops, like rice, fruit trees and nut trees, are water-intensive and require extensive groundwater pumping during droughts. Over time, heavy water extraction has contributed to changes in the aquifer systems under the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys. Although some of these changes can be reversed, a new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, indicates that large parts of the Sacramento Valley may have undergone irreversible ground compaction during recent droughts, leading to a permanent loss of groundwater storage. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-california-drought-sacramento-valley-aquifer.html Earth Sciences Tue, 28 Jul 2026 13:50:01 EDT news704462972 The tropics cover less than one-third of Earth's surface but are home to more than half of all known species. Forests, savannas, grasslands and deserts: A vast array of environments stretches along the planet's equatorial belt. This diversity, however, is not static. It is the result of millions of years of changes that have reshaped the tropical landscape time and again. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-impact-climate-equivalent-million-years.html Environment Tue, 28 Jul 2026 13:20:03 EDT news704459042 Long, narrow bands of moving moisture in the sky, known as atmospheric rivers, contribute to heat waves in the marine environment, according to a new study published in Nature Communications by researchers from Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment. The study is the first to analyze the association between these "rivers in the sky" and marine heat waves, paving the way for future research on the mechanisms at play and how climate change factors in. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-rivers-sky-marine.html Environment Tue, 28 Jul 2026 13:00:01 EDT news704458309 An international team, including Kumamoto University and its partner institutions, has found severe flood risks and high climate-adaptation costs for U.S. small rivers. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-residents-small-rivers-disproportionately-high.html Environment Tue, 28 Jul 2026 12:20:03 EDT news704455141 Peatlands are the unsung heroes of nature. These ancient wetlands form when dead and decaying plants partly decompose in wet, low-oxygen conditions. Over thousands of years, this plant material builds up and turns into a dark, soil-like substance known as peat. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-destroy-peatlands-australia.html Environment Tue, 28 Jul 2026 12:00:21 EDT news704453882 A new tool that calculates the carbon footprint of an individual spa or wellness visit in real time has been published by researchers from the University of Surrey and Therme Group. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-carbon-emissions-spa.html Environment Tue, 28 Jul 2026 10:20:01 EDT news704448722 Around the world, hundreds of thousands of people engage in conventional protests—and sometimes more radical forms of action—in the face of environmental change, harms to animals and nature, and climate inaction. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-climate-social-radical-protests.html Environment Tue, 28 Jul 2026 09:00:02 EDT news704445722 New research from Victoria University (VU) reveals that reducing the impact of extreme heat in urban areas requires more than simply adding green spaces—it requires a different approach to urban planning. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-green-space-wont-urban.html Environment Tue, 28 Jul 2026 08:40:01 EDT news704444342 As water shot into an open stock tank atop a high-country mesa, a trickle soaked the dusty earth below. Scott Snyder rose from the shade to fasten a hose and stop the spillage. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-drought-hauling-crisis-rocky-mountain.html Environment Tue, 28 Jul 2026 06:10:59 EDT news704437831 Firefighters in France and Spain rushed to contain the worst wildfires in living memory Tuesday, seizing crucial hours before the arrival of another wave of searing temperatures. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-france-spain.html Environment Tue, 28 Jul 2026 05:20:01 EDT news704432755 A 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook Japan 's southern main island of Kyushu on Tuesday, leaving dozens of people injured or missing after part of a shopping center and a huge chimney at a paper factory collapsed, officials said. A tsunami advisory was issued but quickly lifted. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-magnitude-earthquake-southern-japan-tsunami.html Environment Tue, 28 Jul 2026 04:44:06 EDT news704432627 Firefighters battling devastating fires in France have had to contend with a new threat: immense fire clouds that create their own wind and even lightning that can spark fresh blazes. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-clouds-ominous-phenomenon-france.html Environment Mon, 27 Jul 2026 22:20:04 EDT news704385547 Heat warnings have stretched across Canada this summer, from Atlantic Canada and southern British Columbia to the Prairies, central Canada and the Northwest Territories. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-extreme-workplace-injuries-canada.html Environment Mon, 27 Jul 2026 22:00:02 EDT news704367494 Heavy snowfall in the Argentine Andes has forced more than 100 people to evacuate and stalled almost 1,000 trucks on snow-covered roads, while flights were rerouted Monday. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-border-heavy-coats-argentine-andes.html Environment Mon, 27 Jul 2026 20:00:01 EDT news704385430 Strengthening the bond between people and nature—that is the aim of a German–Dutch EU project involving Oldenburg. The reasoning behind this is that people who feel they are part of the environment are more likely to campaign for its preservation. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-soil-people-reconnect-nature.html Environment Mon, 27 Jul 2026 18:40:02 EDT news704382903 By analyzing 100,000 California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection inspection records from 2013 to 2024, researchers at the University of California, Irvine have identified the key environmental and human factors responsible for the most destructive wildfires, and they have synthesized the knowledge into a high-resolution, actionable fire risk map for the Golden State. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-california-wildfire-factors-linked-severe.html Environment Mon, 27 Jul 2026 18:10:01 EDT news704388902