11/29/23: Lethal, sulfide-filled waters drove mass extinction 500 million years ago

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Penitentes, spiked ice structures, on a mountain.

These spiked ice formations, called pentitentes, only form in specific environmental conditions. Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, may be able to grow penitentes near its equator, according to new JGR Planets research. Credit: flickr

AGU NEWS
AGU23 is approaching! Press registration remains open for the duration of the conference. The press event schedule, recommended sessions and tipsheets will be available beginning on 4 December. No need to worry that you’ll miss a media advisory about the conference — just head over to the AGU Newsroom and search for posts tagged AGU23. We’ll be posting everything there. [AGU23 press center][AGU23 announcements in the Newsroom] 

FEATURED RESEARCH
Lethal, sulfide-filled waters drove mass extinction 500 million years ago
Around 500 million years ago, Earth lost up to 45% of known genera in the first major mass extinction of the Phanerozoic Eon. Scientists long thought the extinction event was due to marine anoxia, a lack of oxygen in the oceans. But expanding, deadly sulfidic conditions likely played a role too, according to new molybdenum isotope data. [Geophysical Research Letters research] 

Smaller volcanoes helped cool the climate in the early 1800s, too
In the early 19th century, two large volcanoes erupted and cooled Earth’s surface. However, these two volcanoes alone cannot fully account for the long-term cooling effect following their eruptions. New research finds that clusters of small to medium-sized eruptions, which are often excluded from climate models of the 19th century, amplified the cooling caused by the two larger eruptions. [Geophysical Research Letters research] 

Penitentes could exist near Europa’s equator
Penitentes are pointed snow structures found in cold, dry and sunny environments such as the Andes mountains. New modeling of the environment on Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, found that penitentes would be most likely to grow near the equator, posing a potential risk for future spacecraft landings. [JGR Planets research] 

Seismometers pick up fireballs when witnesses and photographs miss them
Every year, thousands of meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere, form fireballs and go unnoticed by people and cameras. Last summer, a fireball broke up over the Northern Atlantic Ocean. A network of seismometers detected acoustic shockwaves from the explosion, joining the first few cases of fireball documentation without human observers or photographic evidence and increasing our atmospheric observational coverage. [Geophysical Research Letters research] 

Environmental river restoration helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Severely polluted urban rivers can be hotspots of greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide. A study of nine heavily polluted rivers in China reveals that environmental restoration efforts reduce rivers’ gas emissions, especially when projects focused on removing nutrients and sewage from waterways. [JGR Biogeosciences research] 

To meet climate goals, protect Alaska’s Tongass and Chugach forests
Forests can act as massive carbon sinks, counteracting greenhouse gas emissions and protecting biodiversity. However, many forests have been ravaged by wildfires and deforestation, flipping from carbon sinks to carbon sources. The two largest U.S. national forests, both in Alaska, have low wildfire risk and provide crucial forest carbon stocks and biodiversity benefits. [AGU Advances research] [Eos Research Spotlight] 

AGU (www.agu.org) is a global community supporting more than half a million advocates and professionals in Earth and space sciences. Through broad and inclusive partnerships, AGU aims to advance discovery and solution science that accelerate knowledge and create solutions that are ethical, unbiased and respectful of communities and their values. Our programs include serving as a scholarly publisher, convening virtual and in-person events and providing career support. We live our values in everything we do, such as our net zero energy renovated building in Washington, D.C. and our Ethics and Equity Center, which fosters a diverse and inclusive geoscience community to ensure responsible conduct. 

 

 

 

 

11/01/23: Dam management in US rises to environmental challenges

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An image of Link River Dam on Link River at the head of Klamath River and just west of Klamath Falls, Oregon.

The Link River Dam at the head of Klamath River in Oregon. Removal of four dams from the Klamath river will be the largest dam removal project to date. Credits: Bureau of Reclamation (flickr)

AGU News

Press registration for Ocean Sciences 2024 is now open
Press registration for Ocean Sciences 2024 (#OSM24), held in New Orleans and online from 18-23 February 2024, is now open. [media advisory][OSM24 press center] 

AGU23 Annual Meeting press registration open, program online
Press registration for #AGU23 is open and will remain open during the meeting, held in San Francisco and online 11-15 December 2023. Book hotels at the conference rate by 15 November. [AGU23 press center] [AGU23 scientific program] 

Featured Research

Dam management in US rises to environmental challenges
Six decades past the era of big dam construction, a new era of dam removal hits a watershed moment, as work begins on the largest removal project to date on the Klamath River.  [Water Resources Research commentary] 

Biochar helps croplands absorb carbon and water in Europe
Scientists suggest that biochar, the burnt remains of biomass, could be a promising tool for removing carbon from the atmospheric cycle. A recent study examined the use of biochar in Europe’s croplands and found that it increased soil carbon, water holding capacity, and crop production. [Earth’s Future research] 

China’s lakes are experiencing more algal blooms
Fertilizer and rising temperatures may be behind China’s increasing algal blooms over the past two decades, a new study finds. Algal blooms can reduce drinking water quality and threaten aquatic biodiversity. In almost 100 Chinese lakes, algal blooms are occurring earlier, more frequently, and have longer windows to form. [Water Resources Research research] 

Heatwaves make it harder for urban greenery to absorb carbon dioxide
A Chicago study found urban plants could offset almost half the city’s traffic emissions, but heatwaves put a big dent in the plant’s capacity to absorb CO2 that could be partially mitigated by irrigation.  [JAMES research] 

Older, thicker Arctic sea ice is vanishing, export and melting are to blame
The Arctic’s multi-year sea ice is decreasing, leaving behind younger ice that is thinner and has less albedo than multi-year ice. But scientists have been unsure whether the loss was caused by export or melting. New research finds that export caused the first loss of multi-year sea ice in the 1980s, and a combination of melting and export caused the second major loss between 2006 and 2008. [JGR Oceans research] 

Piecing together the roots of the ancient Australian continent
The Kimberley craton in Australia is a classic locality for kimberlite, a mantle-derived igneous rock that delivers diamonds from the mantle lithosphere to near the surface where they can be mined. A recent study analyzed the craton and revealed the thickness, geothermal gradient, and history of melt extraction or addition from each layer of the mantle lithosphere. [Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems research] [Eos Editor Highlight] 

AGU (www.agu.org) is a global community supporting more than half a million advocates and professionals in Earth and space sciences. Through broad and inclusive partnerships, AGU aims to advance discovery and solution science that accelerate knowledge and create solutions that are ethical, unbiased and respectful of communities and their values. Our programs include serving as a scholarly publisher, convening virtual and in-person events and providing career support. We live our values in everything we do, such as our net zero energy renovated building in Washington, D.C. and our Ethics and Equity Center, which fosters a diverse and inclusive geoscience community to ensure responsible conduct.

10/4/2023: Mars is safer for human brains than the Moon or deep space

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An astronaut stands on the Moon.

Buzz Aldrin on the Moon in 1969.
Credit: NASA

AGU News 

Register now to attend the 2023 Annual Meeting
Staff, freelance and student journalists, along with press officers and institutional writers covering the conference, are eligible for free registration for AGU’s annual meeting (#AGU23), coming to San Francisco, CA (and online) 11-15 December. [AGU23 Press Center][Press registration and housing][Media advisories] 

Indigenous science focus 

  • “Pyro-diverse” traditional knowledges apply fire to manage East and Southern African savannas [Earth’s Future] 
  • Tiwi Islanders monitor climate change in Northern Australia [Earth’s Future] 
  • Myanmar community contains coal mining waste fires [GeoHealth] 
  • Palestinian charcoal producers and Israeli researchers collaborate to make a traditional practice burn cleaner [Earth and Space Science] 
  • Ikaaġvik Sikukun (Ice Bridges) project “ice-tethered observatory” tracks heat budget of dwindling landfast ice in Kotzebue Sound [JGR Oceans] 
  • Indigenous communities adapt as climate change upends ecological calendars globally [collection overview] 
  • Balancing open science, data privacy and fairness [Water Science Research] 
  • Co-Creating ethical practices and approaches for fieldwork [AGU Advances] 

Featured research  

Mars is safer for human brains than the Moon or deep space
A major concern for astronauts in space is exposure to radiation from galactic cosmic rays and solar energetic particles, which could potentially harm the central nervous system. A new study finds that astronauts will be exposed to more radiation on the Moon’s surface and in deep space than they will be on Mars, creating a need for adequate shielding protection. [Space Weather research] 

Air pollution competes with greenhouse gases to rein in rain over South Asia
Greenhouse gases should have increased rainfall over South Asia, but high aerosol concentrations have offset excess rainfall in the region since the mid-20th century. Nevertheless, greenhouse gas-induced rainfall will likely increase in South Asia as aerosol emissions stabilize in the mid-21st century. [Geophysical Research Letters research] 

Storms bring water vapor to higher altitudes than previously thought
Thunderstorms are known to bring water vapor to the stratosphere, but a recent study flew planes at extreme altitudes in the stratosphere and found water vapor present at elevations higher than all prior global records — around 18 kilometers (11 miles) high. Water vapor in the stratosphere can contribute to global warming and harm ozone, and the processes that push water vapor up may increase in frequency as the climate warms. [Geophysical Research Letters research] 

Cities make some thunderstorms in Southeast US stronger and wetter 
Weather conditions that have the necessary elements for convection but lack strong lift can spawn “weakly-forced” thunderstorms susceptible to added environmental influences. New research finds that the unstable atmospheric conditions near urban areas facilitate updrafts, causing these storms to be stronger, more hail-prone, and produce more lightning than similar storms forming outside the city. [Geophysical Research Letters research] 

James Webb Space Telescope captures Saturn’s changing seasons
Winter is coming—and not just for Earth’s Northern Hemisphere. Northern summer on Saturn is coming to a close after about 7.5 years, with its fall equinox coming up in 2025. Unprecedented images reveal how Saturn’s atmosphere is evolving as summertime winds down in its northern hemisphere. [JGR Planets research] [Eos Research Spotlight] 

AGU (www.agu.org) is a global community supporting more than half a million advocates and professionals in Earth and space sciences. Through broad and inclusive partnerships, AGU aims to advance discovery and solution science that accelerate knowledge and create solutions that are ethical, unbiased and respectful of communities and their values. Our programs include serving as a scholarly publisher, convening virtual and in-person events and providing career support. We live our values in everything we do, such as our net zero energy renovated building in Washington, D.C. and our Ethics and Equity Center, which fosters a diverse and inclusive geoscience community to ensure responsible conduct.