09/04/2025: Extinct mud volcanoes on Mars could have preserved proof of life

Written by

Black and white photo of the surface of Mars. It depicts three mounds of light gray with indents in the middle of each. They are spread out in a triangle formation.

Cone shaped mounds were found around the northern hemisphere of Mars. Scientists believe these mounds are extinct mud volcanoes that could have spewed mud onto the surface that researchers can now use to study material from deep underground. The volcanoes may have been habitable to microbes, like microbial life found in mud volcanoes on Earth.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

AGU News 

Register for Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow, 22-27 February 2026
Staff, freelance and student journalists, press officers and institutional writers are eligible to apply for complimentary press registration. Book conference hotels early! [media advisory][OSM26 Press][eligibility guidelines] 

Featured Research 

Martian mud volcanoes may have provided a habitable home for microbes
In the northern lowlands of Mars, there is evidence an ancient ocean once covered half of Mar’s northern hemisphere over 4 billion years ago. Along the perimeter are large cones that used to be flowing mud volcanoes. A new study discusses the possibility of a mud reservoir that existed under the volcanoes some 500-1800 meters underground. The volcanoes would spew mud into the air, throwing potential evidence onto the surface that may not have been accessible without drilling into Mars. The mud could have existed up to temperatures of 20 degrees Celsius supporting the presence of water and containing favorable conditions for microbial life. [JGR Planets study]  

Will your street flood during flash flooding?
Flood predictions usually cover general areas, and can underestimate flood hazards, according to the researchers behind a new method, which provides street-by-street flood predictions using rainwater levels, storm patterns and historical data to look at flooding risks. The new maps are designed to help communities better plan for potential flash floods and show how floods would affect buildings and people on the ground. The mapping was applied to a city in China but could be adjusted for other cities in the future. [Water Research Resources study] 

Creation and destruction of 12 young volcanic islands gives insight into the loss of rocky coasts
Volcanic islands can erode quickly, sometimes fast enough that researchers can watch them disappear back into the ocean in real time. This gives them a good research opportunity to see the process of erosion on non-volcanic rocky coasts, which erode at a slower rate. Researchers observed 12 historic volcanic islands and found erosion happens in waves. Quick initial erosion as the ocean erodes softer materials. The erosion then slows because only harder materials are left behind. The erosion creates large overhang cliffs that reinvigorate the coast when the overhangs break and crash down onto the coast. The type of rock the islands are made of determines how quickly the islands will erode. [JGR Earth Surface study] 

As simple as possible: the importance of idealized climate models
As models that simulate Earth’s climate system become increasingly complex, the use of simpler and more flexible idealized models remains important for science and education. [Eos Editors’ highlights][AGU Advances commentary]  

08/28/2025: China’s bamboo forest holds 500 million tons of carbon

Written by

A picture of a bamboo forest with a dirt path with some grass stretching between the two rows of bamboo with sparce grass. Dark green bamboo stalks tower to the top of the picture and a small amount of bright light common through at the top.

Bamboo forest in Golden Bull Mountain Ridge Park, Haikou City, Hainan Province, China.
Credit: Anna Frodesiak

AGU News 

Register for Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow, 22-27 February 2026
Staff, freelance and student journalists, press officers and institutional writers are eligible to apply for complimentary press registration. Book conference hotels early! [media advisory][OSM26 Press][eligibility guidelines] 

Featured Research 

Stronger windstorms ahead in warming northern Europe
In 1999 Cyclone Anatol hit northern Europe with winds the equivalent of a category 1 hurricane, inflicting record storm surge on Denmark’s coast, a severe test for onshore wind turbines, and 2 billion Euro in damage. Climate change is predicted to bring more storms like Anatol as warmer temperatures energize stronger winds and the potential for more destruction. [Geophysical Research Letters study] 

Bamboo forest in China holds 500 million tons of carbon
While it may seem like a drop in the bucket compared to the Amazon forest at 150 billion tons, this single Moso bamboo forest in China holds a third the amount of carbon the Rocky Mountains store. Soil stores around 70% of the carbon while vegetation holds the rest. However, hotter temperatures and droughts along with increased human activity like overharvesting damage the soil’s ability to store carbon. [JGR Biogeosciences study] 

Tidal waves of dust on Mars
Almost all of Mars is covered in dust, making dust devils and storms very common across Mars’ surface. Massive dust storms sometimes cover the whole planet for weeks. Tides of dust ebb and flow, like water tides on Earth but driven by heat from the sun as opposed to gravity from the moon. A new study finds the dust tides happen throughout the year, even without dust storms. The dust moves with meridional and vertical winds, allowing scientists to study how wind currents flow on Mars. They can also use it for research of sand on Earth. [JGR Planets study] 

In the arctic, consequences of heat waves linger
The aftermath of a historic 2020 heat wave could still be felt in Siberia a year later. [Eos research spotlight][Global Biogeochemical Cycles study] 

Tree rings record history of jet stream-related climate extremes
Persistent spatial patterns of summer weather extremes in the northern hemisphere recorded in tree ring growth records provide a thousand-year history of jet stream ‘wave5’ dynamics. [Eos editors’ spotlight][AGU Advances study]  

08/21/2025: Who benefits from beach nourishment

Written by

Picture of sheep grazing in green, patchy grass below raised rows of solar panels with a cloudy sky in the background.

Sheep within a dual grazing system in Georgia, U.S.
Credit: T. Bacon et al. Earth’s Future

AGU News 

Editorial: The Executive Order “Restoring Gold Standard Science” is Dangerous for America
Editors-in-chief of AGU’s journals authored an editorial this week in AGU Advances arguing why independent, transparent science — not politically controlled “gold standards”—must guide U.S. scientific scholarship. Framed against the Trump Administration’s “Restoring Gold Standard Science” executive order, the editorial explains how placing enforcement in the hands of senior political appointees risks censorship, chills research, and undermines rigorous peer-review that protects public health, safety, and the economy. Federal agencies must submit “Restoring Gold Standard Science” implementation plans to OSTP and publish them on their websites by August 22. [AGU Advances editorial][OSTP memorandum] 

Featured Research 

As New Jersey beaches erode, rebuilding efforts aren’t supporting all communities
Erosion along beaches can be slowed through beach nourishment, or adding more sand to replace the lost ground. The study found steady and continual nourishment was the most effect. Rebuilding efforts weren’t always cooperative between neighboring communities with many communities choosing differing ways of handling erosion. Some communities benefitted from neighboring efforts as sand was redistributed to their beach as currents and wind moved the sand around. In some cases in New Jersey, affluent communities were free riding on steady nourishment from less wealthy neighbors. Researchers highlighted a need for combined group effort to delay erosion across the board. [Earth’s Future study] 

Combining solar farms with animal farms saves land, mowing
Solar farms could now have a dual purpose. Scientists studied the benefits of allowing farm animals to graze on the grass that grows beneath the solar panels. This would allow the solar panels to create energy while not wasting the ground underneath. Researchers found a few key areas that need studied, like how the change would impact the soil or vegetation, how it might impact the animals’ welfare and logistical concerns like fencing or loading pens. [Earth’s Future review] 

Growing rice is non-flooded fields helps lower the arsenic and mercury levels in rice
Rice is typically grown in flooded rice paddies to help boost yield and control weeds and pests. The water helps create conditions where naturally occurring metals like arsenic and mercury can be absorbed into rice. It also encourages microbes to produce methane. A two-year field study found less water reduced the inorganic arsenic and mercury found in rice but conversely raised cadmium level over the recommended amounts. Methane levels also dropped at low water levels. [GeoHealth study] 

Where the pigs and buffalo roam, the wetlands they do bemoan
A novel fenced enclosure study demonstrates the heavy toll that invasive ungulates have on greenhouse gas emissions from coastal wetlands on Indigenous lands in Australia. Pigs and buffalo were sequestered into fenced areas to measure the damage done to surrounding wetlands. Researchers found the animals increased greenhouse gas emissions, particularly during the early dry season. Damage to underground root systems and organic soil near ground level was double that of untouched land nearby. [Eos editors’ highlights][JGR Biogeosciences study] 

How much has mercury shrunk?
Mercury is still shrinking as it cools in the aftermath of its formation; new research narrows down estimates of just how much it has contracted. [Eos research spotlight][AGU Advances study] 

08/14/2025: Restored and natural forests struggle to survive

Written by

A photograph of a small brown bird with a white tummy and a small black spot under its beak on its neck. It is sitting on a bare red stick with other red sticks surrounding it pointing upwards like a bush.

Eurasia Tree Sparrows are the most commonly documented bird in the Philippines and had the most impact on where they found the bird flu.
Credit: Georgi Petrov / WikiMedia

AGU News 

Press registration open for 2026 Ocean Sciences Meeting
Full time reporters and press officers are invited to attend, free of charge, the Oceans Sciences Meeting, hosted by AGU, The Oceanography Society and the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography in Glasgow, Scotland, 22-27 February 2026.[OSM26 press information][eligibility]  

Featured Research 

Replacing corn with biofuel perennials slows erosion on sloping farmland
Scientists tested how biofuel perennials like switchgrass or Miscanthus, a common long grassy plant, would impact sloping farmland in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. Corn that is planted on these slopes can increase erosion, which degrades the soil. Researchers found that the perennials decreased erosion and the Miscanthus produced yielded double the amount compared to the switchgrass. [Earth’s Future study] 

Replanted forests are as successful as normal forests, but both are struggling
Around half of studied reforested forests in China saw a resilience decline, meaning the trees’ ability to bounce back after events like drought or wildfire were declining. Lowered resilience can signal high risk of reforestation efforts failing. At the same time, traditional growth forests experienced nearly exactly the same decline. Both forest types face the chance of failure because of low water availability, particularly as droughts increase with climate change. [Earth’s Future study] 

Birders help point to potential bird flu hotspots in the Philippines
Scientists combined remote satellite sensing of rainfall, population density and infrastructure like farmlands, with 12 years of bird enthusiasts’ sightings from the app eBird to predict bird flu hotspots in domestic birds. Evaluation of these factors found increased rainfall, population density and the presence of the Eurasian Tree Sparrow and the Zebra Dove, due to their abundance and proximity to poultry farms, had significant impact on bird flu outbreaks. [GeoHealth study] 

Math model uncovers how snow cornices swirl into being
Snow cornices are waves of soft snow that build up and curl off the edges of mountains which can cause slab avalanches when they fall. As snow cornices grow, the wind speed along the edge slows down but the amount of snow hitting the edge increases. This allows the snow to build up along the sides and increases its size. Scientists created the first numerical model to simulate the growth of snow cornices which could better avalanche models. [JGR Atmospheres study] 

Nearly 94 million boulders mapped on the moon using deep learning
Scientists used a deep learning algorithm to map the size and location of nearly 94 million boulders on the lunar surface, highlighting differences in boulder densities and size distributions. [Eos editor’s highlight] [JGR Planets study]  

First complete picture of nighttime clouds on mars
Data captured by the Emirates Mars Mission reveal that clouds are typically thicker during Martian nighttime than daytime. [Eos research spotlight] [JGR Planets study] 

 

08/07/2025: Draining a peatland led to 2021 Canadian wildfire

Written by

A drawn time lapse that shows the peatland draining and black spruce and birch trees move in. The water table of the peatland lowers and the peat fuel load increases as the trees increase.

Time lapse of the progression of the boreal peatland as it dried out and became better grounds for the 2021 fire.
Credit: Ferrer et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL115170

AGU News 

Press registration open for 2026 Ocean Sciences Meeting
Full time reporters and press officers are invited to attend, free of charge, the Oceans Sciences Meeting, hosted by AGU, The Oceanography Society and the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography in Glasgow, Scotland, 22-27 February 2026. [OSM26 press information][eligibility] 

Featured Research 

As cities grow, poorer residents are moving into landslide zones
The total number of buildings built on landslides in cities has doubled since 1985, although the cities themselves have only increased in area by about 48%. Many of these landslides will impact poorer communities as researchers found that informal settlements, or slums, were more likely to be built in landslide zones. [Geophysical Research Letters letter] [More research about living on landslides] 

A peatland dried up in 1987 and it may have made a wildfire worse in 2021
The fire burned over 4,400 acres in Alberta in 2021 and continued to smolder for over a year. The sections of the peatland that burned were drained in 1987 for peat farming and, at the time of draining, had no trees. After the peatland was drained, birch and black spruce trees began to grow. These trees sucked moisture from the peat and encouraged the growth of shade-loving moss that ignites better than moss that previously grew there. The trees themselves didn’t add to the burn, but they dried the peat and helped moss grow, both of which contributed to the intensity of the fire, which was all set off by the initial drying of the peatlands. [JGR Biogeosciences study] 

No one water climate adaptation fits all
Scientists modeled how well every climate adaptation for water resources in the western United States worked at its highest capacity. The results were mixed. For example, wastewater recycling improved indoor and outdoor water coverage, but increased electricity use. Reductions in indoor water use decreased electricity but had limited potential when compared to other options like groundwater storage. The researchers explained that the most beneficial water climate adaptation would have to be a multi-pronged approach instead of a one-size-fits-all change. [Earth’s Future study] 

The state of stress in the Nankai subduction zone
The Nankai subduction zone, in southern Japan, has hosted several large magnitude 8+ earthquakes during the last three hundred years. But, how stressed is it right now? [Eos Editors’ highlights] [JGR Solid Earth study]  

What goes up must come down: movement of water in Europa’s crust
Using Earth’s glaciers as an analog, a new study explores the possibility of downward propagation of fractures and melt in Europa’s icy crust. [Eos Editors’ highlights] [JGR Planets study] 

07/31/2025: New AI lab assistant does the math for you

Written by

Mars, light tan planet with a snowy white spot on the bottom on the planet.

AI system can answer research questions on windstorms and other topics about Mars using data from NASA. The team used the same formula to create an AI to answer questions on sea level science.
Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

AGU News 

Save the date for AGU25 in New Orleans, 15-19 December
Registration for AGU’s 2025 annual meeting will open in late August. Full-time journalists and press officers can attend free of charge. [AGU25] 

AGU Wins Power of Associations Gold Award for promoting ethics in climate intervention
In October 2024, AGU published the Ethical Framework Principles for Climate Intervention Research in response to the increasing urgency of the climate crisis and growing interest in large-scale interventions, such as carbon dioxide removal and solar radiation modification. AGU affirms that reducing carbon emissions must remain the top priority in addressing climate change. [press release][report] 

Featured Research 

AI assistant can help scientists study the ocean and Mars
Using ChatGPT, scientists filled the program with information on sea level science so scientists could speed up their research time. The system is currently live and allows anyone to ask it a question in simple language about sea level science. It will attempt to give answers about things like current recorded coast levels, flooding predictions, or mathematical equations. They used the same system, with some key information shifts, to create an AI to answer questions about Mars, as well. Using Nasa data, users can ask the AI about wind speeds or storms that are or might happen on Mars. [JGR Machine Learning and Computation study][Chatbot lab assistants for climate science media roundtable] 

15 US coastal airports are sinking
San Francisco, Portland and Seattle airports were found to be the top fastest sinkers. Their sinking rates were based off the geology of the ground underneath with many being built on former wetlands or floodplains. They found that 96% of airports are at low risk currently for damage from the sinking. Tampa, Seattle, Orlando and the Reagan National Airport, however, all ranked at high to very high risk for damage. [Earth and Space Sciences study] 

Shrubification of the Arctic slows release of greenhouse gases
Climate change has caused an invasion of southern shrubs into the Arctic tundra, but this encroaching shrubbery could slow the tundra’s transition away from carbon storage to greenhouse gas emitter. The shrubs absorb more carbon dioxide than the native moss, lichen, and tussocks.  Scientists working at Trail Valley Creek in Canada found the increased soil temperature in the winter associated with shrubs was offset by cooler soil temperature during the summer thanks to shade shrubs provide. At the highest level of shrubs, the valley absorbed more carbon than it released. Scientists will have to take changing ecosystems, like more shrubs, into account when modeling the impacts of climate change.  [JGR Biogeosciences study] 

Why crop yield decreases at high temperatures
Scientists find that water stress drives the connection between surface temperature and crop yield loss, providing information to help improve predictions of agricultural productivity under climate change. [Eos editor’s highlight] [AGU Advances study] 

How earthquakes shake up microbial lake communities
After an earthquake, a lake’s geological, chemical, and biological components get reconfigured. A new study dives into the effects of seismic shifts on the Himalayas’ Lake Cuopu. [Eos research spotlight] [JGR Biogeosciences study] 

07/25/2025: Extreme malaria outbreaks could double by 2100

Written by

Anopheles stephensi sucks a blood meal from a human host. Anopheles mosquitoes are the primary insect vector for the microorganism that causes malaria. Credit: Jim Gathany/CDC, Wikimedia.

Featured Research

Ocean will hold onto carbon long after greenhouse gas levels drop
The ocean absorbs carbon dioxide from the air, acting as a carbon sink for anthropogenic emissions. If efforts to control emissions and remove legacy carbon from the air are successful, the ocean will become a carbon source, outgassing stored carbon dioxide back to the atmosphere. Scientists modeled the response of the ocean to different rates of carbon removal, finding the ocean lags behind the atmosphere as it ramps down, which could complicate carbon capture planning. Slower removal allows the ocean to spend more time under climate change conditions, eventually causing larger outgassing. [JGR Oceans study]

Malaria epidemic threat rising as climate warms
Malaria rates have decreased since 2000, but researchers are warning warmer temperatures and more rain will encourage high densities of mosquitoes and raise exposure risk for people in some regions of Africa in coming decades. A projected increase in urban population density could further the potential for future extreme outbreaks. Scientists project that central and west Africa will see the highest epidemic risk starting as early as 2030 to 2060. [GeoHealth study]

Europewide database shows who gets the most lightning and hail storms
The database involves all hail and lightning storms that occurred across Europe over an 11-year time span. Researchers found that during the summer, mountain ranges like the Alps and Pyrenees experience more hail and lightning, and areas around the Mediterranean see more during autumn. The establishment of this dataset could help provide a basis for future research into hail and lightning storms in Europe. [JGR Atmospheres study]

New method tackles turbulence of hurricane landfall
As hurricanes reach the coast, wind speed changes because of the different topography and structures it must navigate around. Knowing the wind speeds as hurricanes reach land can help researchers to understand how much damage might occur and for classifying hurricanes based on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale’s 1 to 5 rating system. Researchers created the first simulation of how wind 10 meters above the ground interacts with topography changes once the hurricane reaches land. [Geophysical Research Letters study][University of Alabama press release]

A transatlantic communications cable does double duty
A new device enables existing submarine cable networks to measure deep-sea movements. It could ultimately help improve tsunami warnings and climate monitoring. [Eos research highlight] [Geophysical Research Letters letter]

Abrupt climate shifts likely as global temperatures keep rising
A computer vision technique modified to scan climate model data is helping scientists predict where and when rapid climatic shifts will happen in the future. [Eos research highlight] [AGU Advances study]

07/17/2025: Commentaries and the importance of the Anthropocene

Written by

A graph depicting the increase in temperatures, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane over the last 300,000 years with a sharp increase during the last 100 years.

A graph depicting the changing temperature and gases in the atmosphere over the course of the last 30,000 years.

The Anthropocene and the commentaries over the last year
Over the last year, several commentaries were published in AGU journals, including one this month, over the debate on whether the Anthropocene should be considered an official epoch. The Anthropocene is an unofficial geologic time period, like the Holocene and Pleistocene, characterized by human activity having a substantial impact on the planet. In 2024, the International Union of Geological Sciences debated whether humanity’s impact on the planet has been profound enough to define a new geological epoch. While the governing committee declined to issue its stamp of approval to usher in the new age, the debate around the Anthropocene continues. Here’s how the arguments break down:

In a commentary published in July of 2024, researchers argued that the timescale of the Anthropocene is not what matters. They argued against an epoch, which denotes and requires a time frame, and instead that it should be viewed as the Anthropocene Event. This would allow researchers to ignore the time frame and instead focus on the Anthropocene as a series of human actions that have had a substantial impact on Earth. [Earth’s Future commentary]

Commentary published in March argued that the Anthropocene epoch, which the authors argue started 72 years ago, was essential to conveying the full gravity of humanity’s impacts on the planet. In their opinion, a new epoch would underscore the seriousness of the situation and that the ongoing changes to Earth’s atmosphere and oceans are not easily changeable nor reversible. [AGU Advances commentary]

In a similar vein, just this month another researcher published a commentary arguing that the Anthropocene as an epoch is important for highlighting all the issues accompanying climate change. The researcher goes on to say that a new epoch would help unite humanity under a single term and, therefore, a singular goal. They believe this common goal would counter nationalist impulses and allow researchers and communities to work better together to fight climate change. [Earth’s Future commentary]

Featured Research

Southern Ocean could see increased temperatures and ice melting if AMOC slows
The Southern Ocean would see increasing in temperatures and more ice melt over the course of several decades if the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, a system of ocean currents in the Atlantic Ocean, weakens. Researchers highlighted that the weakening current on the Southern Ocean would be smaller than the direct impacts projected from global greenhouse gas emissions. [JGR Oceans study]

Scientists face limitations accessing seafloor information
Recent reductions in U.S. oceanographic assets are limiting scientists’ ability to access vital research materials in the ocean. [Editor’s highlight] [AGU Advances commentary]

How plants respond to scattered sunlight
A new study investigates how diffuse light affects the water cycle and carbon uptake across forest, grassland, shrub, and agricultural areas. [Eos Research Spotlight] [JGR Biogeosciences study]

The power of naming space weather events
Mother’s Day Storm? Why not! Bastille Day Storm? Mais oui! Space scientists make the case for a standardized naming convention for geomagnetic storms: to increase public awareness and preparedness. [Editor’s highlight] [Perspectives of Earth and Space Scientists commentary]

07/10/2025: For two years, an important greenhouse gas absorber went carbon neutral 

Written by

A peatland of green grass and bushes in Iquitos, Peru.

A peatland in the Amazon rainforest in Iquitos, Peru became carbon neutral after prolonged heat and lowered water levels.
Credit: Psamathe/Wikimedia

Featured Research 

Amazonian peatland switched from being a carbon absorber to entirely carbon neutral
Peatlands play an important role in the carbon cycle by absorbing carbon dioxide. Researchers found the Amazonian peatland suffered from lowered water levels that left the tops of the peat exposed and allowed them to decompose faster. Prolonged periods of cloudless skies and higher sun intensities limited the photosynthesis of surrounding plants, which added to the decrease in carbon absorption. For two years, this combination switched the peatland from a carbon sink to carbon neutral, where the peat did not absorb more carbon dioxide than it released. [Geophysical Research Letters study] 

700 kilometer-long extinct chain of volcanoes found in southern China
Nearly 6 km underground, scientists found 700 km of igneous rocks, formed during the cooling of magma. These rocks were formed roughly 800 million years ago during the Tonian period when the Rodinia supercontinent broke apart and created the Yangtze Block, which is now southern China. The existence of these extinct volcanoes would extend the known continental arc system another 400-900 km inland, away from the current northern margin. [JGR Solid Earth study] 

New fun fact: small ocean currents are determined by ocean size
Ocean striations are hidden, weak currents that run eastward and westward. Researchers had previously measured striations found in smaller areas such as the Mediterranean Sea and the South China Sea and found they are around half the size of the small currents found in open oceans. A comparison of striations in the Northern Pacific Ocean and in the South China Sea found that the width of the ocean’s basin limits the size of its striations. [Geophysical Research Letters study] 

Deep root respiration helps break down rocks
The carbon dioxide that results from respiration in and around deep roots is an essential component in the chemical weathering of sandstone rock soils. [Editor’s Highlight] [AGU Advances study] 

More bubbles means more variation in ocean carbon storage
A new model accounting for the role of bubbles in air-sea gas exchanges suggests that ocean carbon uptake is more variable than previously thought. [Eos Research Spotlight] [Global Biogeochemical Cycles study]  

07/03/2025: AI could help monitor and predict earthquakes

Written by

Cartoon illustration of Cascadia subduction zone

Subduction zones, like this one along the western coast of North America, bring the largest earthquakes that AI can help monitor.
Credit: USGS John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis

Featured Research

New AI tool could help predict earthquakes before they happen
Scientists trained a neural network with a model of subduction zones, areas where tectonic plates are moving beneath each other and where the largest earthquakes happen, known as megathrust earthquakes. The research team used an ‘explainable AI’ which means the AI program runs its test using the models to make forecasts. It then explains to scientists where it focused for its forecasting and why. In this case, the program found that certain areas of tectonic plates moved hours to months before megathrust earthquakes, which could give scientists a better idea of where to prioritize monitoring. While the program cannot forecast earthquakes on its own yet, it can help researchers potentially better their own forecasting.  [Geophysical Research Letter study]

Model of climate mitigation option showed promise for water storage in Middle East
An analysis of the tradeoffs of stratospheric aerosol intervention for freshwater worldwide finds more benefits for drylands than wet regions like Siberia and the Amazon. The aerosols, fine particles that stay in the air and reflect sunlight, limited the increase of available water, like slowing glacial ice melting, and kept ground water from evaporating. The method performed particularly well in the Middle East. However, the aerosols decreased necessary and important runoff in many areas, runoff that is often used for irrigation or drinking water supplies. [JGR Atmospheres study]

Spring soil moisture in the Tibetan Plateau predicts summer rain in China
As wind swells over the Tibetan Plateau, it picks up the moisture in the soil and carries it as the wind travels eastward. Researchers found that if the Tibetan Plateau’s soil is extra wet in the spring, East China will see more rain than usually during the summer, while North China will see the opposite. The scientists hope this will allow for water resource management and better planning for droughts or flooding. [JGR Atmospheres study]

New mechanism explains the mysteries of deep earthquakes
By analyzing forty deep earthquakes around the world, researchers discover the key role of a dual mechanism that allows earthquakes to grow larger and release more stress. [Eos Editor’s highlight] [AGU Advances study]

United Kingdom space weather prediction system goes operational
Officials now have access to a suite of models they can use to head off damage to critical infrastructure. [Eos research spotlight] [Space Weather study]