Earth

Earth

Life Landed 2.6 Billion Years Ago

Unusually carbon-rich rocks found in eastern South Africa may push back the evidence of life on land to 2.6 billion years ago, more than twice the current age of indisputably terrestrial organisms.

Earth

Change in the Weather? Wind farms might affect local climates

Large groups of power-generating windmills could increase wind speed, temperature, and ground-level evaporation, thereby influencing a region's climate.

Earth

Extra rainfall may stem warming in Midwest

Increased precipitation in parts of the Midwest may reduce the temperature increases expected to occur in the next few decades as a result of global warming.

Earth

Eye on Mount St. Helens

Keep an eye on the ongoing volcanic activity at Mount St. Helens in the state of Washington. Images taken by the Johnston Ridge Observatory’s VolcanoCam, at an elevation of about 4,500 feet, are updated roughly every 5 minutes. They’re snapped from a distance of about 5 miles from the volcano, looking approximately south-southeast across the […]

Earth

Global warming won’t boost carbon storage in tundra

The notion that a warmer climate in arctic regions will lead to enhanced carbon sequestration in tundra ecosystems isn't supported by field data.

Earth

Humming Along: Ocean waves may cause global seismic noise

The slow and nearly constant vibrations of Earth's crust stem from severe winter weather over some of the world's oceans.

Earth

Deep Squeeze: Experiments point to methane in Earth’s mantle

Although today's fossil fuel reserves reside in Earth's crust, a new study suggests that hydrocarbon fuel might also nestle deep in the mantle, at depths of 100 kilometers or more.

Earth

Cool Harvest: Frost on sea ice may boost atmosphere’s bromine

Frost flowers, the delicate crystals that sometimes grow atop fresh sea ice, can be a substantial source of ozone-destroying bromine in lower atmosphere near the poles.

Earth

No Deep Breathing: Air pollution impedes lung development

Spending one's childhood in a community with polluted air stalls lung development roughly as much as does having a mother who smokes.

Earth

Compost reduces landfill gas

Field tests suggest that covering solid waste with compost instead of conventional soil could reduce methane-gas emissions from landfills.

Agriculture

The Ultimate Crop Insurance

A new treaty renews hope that the waning diversity in agricultural crops can be slowed, and important genes preserved, both in the field and in gene banks.

Earth

Paved Paradise?

The precipitation-fed runoff that spills from impervious surfaces such as buildings, roads, and parking lots in developed areas increases erosion in streams, wreaks ecological havoc there, and contributes to urban heat islands.