Earth Sciences

Proportion of current geological resource production exceeding production capacity determined by the regional water availability for the top ten geological resources with the largest volume of water overconsumption. Image Credit: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)
Earth Sciences

Geological Resources and Regional Water Availability Limits

The study shows that the regional water availability constrains the current and future production of 32 geological resources Geological resources such as critical metals and minerals, essential for the diffusion of technologies such as renewable energy and energy storage towards a decarbonized society, are indispensable for supporting modern life in the form of various products and services. Their demand is expected to increase in the coming years owing to global population as well as economic growth. Thus far, scientists and…

CUREE, an autonomous underwater robot, is used by the researchers to collect acoustic data for analysis. Image Credit: Austin Greene, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Earth Sciences

Neural Network Identifies Coral Reef Sounds with ‘Fishial’ Recognition

Faster identification of fish sounds from acoustic recordings can improve research, conservation efforts Coral reefs are some of the world’s most diverse ecosystems. Despite making up less than 1% of the world’s oceans, one quarter of all marine species spend some portion of their life on a reef. With so much life in one spot, researchers can struggle to gain a clear understanding of which species are present and in what numbers. In JASA, published on behalf of the Acoustical…

Flooding in the low-lying Mapunapuna industrial area on O'ahu, Hawai'i. Image Credit: Hawaiʻi Sea Grant King Tides Project.
Earth Sciences

Flooding Risks Increase in Hawai’i’s Sinking Coastal Areas

Some parts of Hawai‘i are sinking faster than others. That discovery, published recently in a study by researchers at the University of Hawai‘i (UH) at Mānoa, also highlights that as sea level rises, the infrastructure, businesses, and communities in these low-lying areas are at risk of flooding sooner than scientists anticipated, particularly in certain urban areas of O‘ahu. “Our findings highlight that subsidence is a major, yet often overlooked, factor in assessments of future flood exposure,” said Kyle Murray, lead…

Visualisation of seismic model S40RTS (Ritsema et al., 2011), showing the LLVP (large red area) under Africa, made using the GPlates software. Image Credit: Jeroen Ritsema et al.
Earth Sciences

Unlocking Earth’s Deep Mantle: Evolutionary History Revealed

A new study led by researchers at Cardiff University, the University of Oxford, the University of Bristol, and the University of Michigan has revealed that two continent-size regions in Earth’s deep mantle have distinctive histories and resulting chemical composition, in contrast to the common assumption they are the same. The findings are available to read in the journal Scientific Reports. Seismologists have long known that seismic waves – generated by earthquakes – do not travel through all parts of Earth’s…

The diamond anvil crushed iron and helium together under conditions mimicking those inside the Earth, to create a new compound. These compounds remained stable when pressures were reduced. Further analysis confirmed helium’s incorporation into iron’s crystal lattice. Image Credit: ©2025 Hirose et al. CC-BY-ND
Earth Sciences

Unlocking Helium Secrets: Earth’s Core Insights Revealed

The discovery that inert helium can bond with iron could rewrite Earth’s history Researchers from Japan and Taiwan reveal for the first time that helium, usually considered chemically inert, can bond with iron under high pressures. They used a laser-heated diamond anvil cell to find this, and the discovery suggests there could be huge amounts of helium in the Earth’s core. This could challenge long-standing ideas about the planet’s internal structure and history, and may even reveal details of the…

ECMWF Artificial Intelligence Forecasting System (AIFS). Image Credit: ECMWF
Earth Sciences

ECMWF Shares AI Weather Forecast Data for All Users

A newly operational model, known as the Artificial Intelligence Forecasting System (AIFS), has been launched by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), an intergovernmental centre and leader in numerical weather prediction. ECMWF – Europe’s leading centre for weather prediction makes forecast data from AI model available to all A newly operational model, known as the Artificial Intelligence Forecasting System (AIFS), has been launched by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), an intergovernmental centre and leader in…

Sand Mining Barge on Kuala Langat River, Selangor, Malaysia. Image Credit: Khairil Yusof, Creative Commons
Earth Sciences

The Impact of Sand Mining on Marine Life Today

In the delicate balancing act between human development and protecting the fragile natural world, sand is weighing down the scales on the human side. A group of international scientists in this week’s journal One Earth are calling for balancing those scales to better identify the significant damage sand extraction across the world heaps upon marine biodiversity. The first step: acknowledging sand and gravel (discussed as sand in this publication) – the world’s most extracted solid materials by mass – are…

Earth Sciences

Coastal Erosion Endangers Ancient Cities and Local Areas

USC research on the vanishing coastlines of Alexandria, Egypt, offers nature-based solutions for protecting coastal cities globally, including those in California. A new USC study reveals a dramatic surge in building collapses in the ancient Egyptian port city of Alexandria, directly linked to rising sea levels and seawater intrusion. Once a rare occurrence, building collapses in Alexandria — one of the world’s oldest cities, often called the “bride of the Mediterranean” for its beauty — have accelerated from approximately one…

Marine snow consists of debris from diverse organisms in the water column. Picture shows marine snow from the Sargasso Sea. Image Credit: L. Riemann
Earth Sciences

Nitrogen Fixation on Marine Particles: A Key Ocean Process

How on Earth? It has puzzled scientists for years whether and how bacteria, that live from dissolved organic matter in marine waters, can carry out N2 fixation. It was assumed that the high levels of oxygen combined with the low amount of dissolved organic matter in the marine water column would prevent the anaerobic and energy consuming N2 fixation. Already in the 1980s it was suggested that aggregates, so-called “marine snow particles”, could possibly be suitable sites for N2fixation, and this was…

Study author, Maëlan Tomasek, with a “volunteer” in the experiment conducted in the Mediterranean Sea. Image Credit: Maëlan Tomasek
Earth Sciences

Wild Fish Recognize Individual Divers: A Remarkable Discovery

Fish used visual differences between divers to recognize the person who rewarded them For years, scientific divers at a research station in the Mediterranean Sea had a problem: at some point in every field season, local fish would follow them and steal food intended as experimental rewards. Intriguingly these wild fish appeared to recognize the specific diver who had previously carried food, choosing to follow only them while ignoring other divers. To find out if that was true, a team…

Mounds created by yellow meadow ants, Hertfordshire, UK. Image Credit: Gemma Harvey, Queen Mary University of London
Earth Sciences

Animals as Architects: Global Study Reveals Their Impact

From beaver dams to termite mounds, research uncovers the extraordinary role of animals in shaping our planet  Animals are not just inhabitants of the natural world—they are its architects. A new study led by Professor Gemma Harvey from Queen Mary University of London has revealed how hundreds of species shape the landscapes we depend on, from vast termite mounds visible from space to hippos carving drainage systems and beavers creating entire wetlands. Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of…

This new tool measures how individual phytoplankton cells are using energy. Credit: Image courtesy of Paul Harris.
Earth Sciences

New System Unveils Secrets of Vital Phytoplankton Species

Phytoplankton use sunlight to make energy and nearly half the oxygen we breathe, a new tool improves our ability to measure how individual phytoplankton cells are using energy  Phytoplankton, tiny plant-like organisms in the ocean, are incredibly important for life on Earth. They’re a major food source for many sea creatures and produce almost half the oxygen we breathe.  They also help control the climate by soaking up a lot of carbon dioxide, a gas that contributes to global warming….

The digging activity of earthworms helps plant roots in arid ecosystems to absorb the limited nutrients available in deeper soil layers. (Image: V. Gutekunst)
Earth Sciences

Why Earthworms, Ants, and Termites Matter for Climate Health

A new Nature publication shows how soil invertebrates influence the world beneath our feet and thus also ecosystem services worldwide. Based on a press release from Sun Yat-senUniversity Since the Industrial Revolution, global changes have led to a decline in biodiversity. To address these changes, it is crucial to understand what constitutes healthy ecosystems – and how to protect and build them. A new meta-analysis by an international research team, including Prof. Nico Eisenhauer from the German Centre for Integrative…

The Salar de Uyuni stretches 2.5 million acres across a high plateau in Bolivia. Credit: Image courtesy of Avner Vengosh/Duke University
Earth Sciences

Environmental Impact of Mining the World’s Largest Lithium Deposit

DURHAM, N.C. — The world’s largest known lithium deposit exists within a vast salt pan called the Salar de Uyuni, which stretches for thousands of square miles atop a high, dry Andean plateau in Bolivia. For most of the year, salt crystals encrust the terrain, white as confectioner’s sugar. During the wet season, pooling rainwater mirrors surrounding mountains and sky. “The Salar is a magical place for travelers from all over the world who come to see the colors, the…

Earth Sciences

Drying and Rewetting Cycles Boost Soil CO2 Emissions

Niigata, Japan – The amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) released by microbial decomposition of soil organic carbon on a global scale is approximately five times greater than the amount of anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Thus, it is essential to clarify the impact of climate change on soil CO2 release dynamics. A collaborative research group consisting of Dr. Hirohiko Nagano and Ms. Yuri Suzuki of Niigata University with researchers of Kyushu University and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency conducted incubation experiments on…

Studying_Sikkim_Floods Insights for Disaster Preparedness
Earth Sciences

Studying Sikkim Floods: Insights for Disaster Preparedness

UCalgary scientist says it’s important to determine what happened and what can be learned  Experts from the global Earth science community – including a scientist from the University of Calgary – have pieced together what happened during the massive Sikkim flood to try to help others prepare for similar disasters. On Oct. 3, 2023, a multi-hazard cascade in the Sikkim Himalaya, India, was triggered by a permanently frozen (permafrost) lateral moraine – debris from erosion along a glacier – collapsing…

Feedback