Moss in the Arctic tundra insulates permafrost better than other groundcovers. But grass-like plants and trees are infiltrating moss territory as the climate warms, which could accelerate permafrost losses. Credit: Wikimedia commons/ Leonhard Lenz/ CC0 1.0

Featured Research
Research roundup: Stormwater and failing infrastructure
Olympic triathletes swam in Paris’ Seine River today following a $1.5 billion effort to clean up the waterway. Catch up on the latest research in stormwater system management and water pollution.
[models help build cheaper, smarter infrastructure][high tide flooding in stormwater pipes can hurt water quality][stormwater system high tide flooding likely common along the East Coast of the United States][examining stormwater “equity” versus “efficiency”][rainfall and gray infrastructure limit green infrastructure planning] 

Tundra moss losses may accelerate permafrost thaw
Mosses act as excellent insulators, slowing down the thaw of permafrost in the High Arctic by as much as eight weeks, new research finds. But mosses and small shrubs are being edged out of the tundra by a warming climate, possibly accelerating the thaw of greenhouse-gas containing permafrost. [JGR Biogeosciences research]  

Climate change will spread dengue fever-transmitting mosquitoes
As the climate warms, Aedes aegypti and albopictus mosquitoes will spread northward and westward throughout Asia, bringing deadly dengue fever with them. The study also finds that increasingly dense cities in the region will enhance the spread of disease in the future. [Earth’s Future research] 

Boston radio frequency noise mapped by bicycle
Radios, computers and cell phones all clutter up cities with radio frequency “noise,” which can impact wireless communication and surveillance systems. Researchers mapped Boston’s radio frequency landscape by towing a mobile measurement system around the city behind a bike. The resulting map shows clusters of noise around dense areas of the city, such as Back Bay and Seaport. [Radio Science research] 

Satellites find city heat islands are even hotter than expected
Urban heat islands are becoming more severe with climate change. New research finds that satellite ground temperature measurements detect hotter temperatures when compared to traditional satellite surface air measurements in New York City, with possible implications for cities worldwide. [GeoHealth research] 

Commentary: The Anthropocene is an event, not an age
The  International Union of Geological Sciences recently rejected the Anthropocene epoch as a geologic era. A new commentary argues that the Anthropocene should be considered an intensifying, ongoing event with no specific time period. [Earth’s Future research] 

Imaging below the surface reveals one of Los Angeles’ webs of faults
Damage zones extend to either side of many faults and can affect how future earthquakes behave. [Eos Research Spotlight] [AGU Advances research]

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Ships traveling near China’s coast are affecting air quality in mainland China, especially during the warmest months. Credit: Wikimedia commons/ Daniel Ramirez/ CCA BY 2.0

Featured Research
Research roundup: Record high heat
Monday, 22 July marked the hottest day ever recorded on Earth. Catch up on the latest research in extreme heat, from rising baselines to soaring maximums on land and in the sea.
[“Our hot future has arrived. Are we prepared?”][heat waves stress world’s road, rail infrastructure][Poor and nontraditionally-housed people face highest heat exposure][heatwaves increase fire, police department calls][where heat hits in the Northern Hemisphere][what we know about heat waves: a review][rising sea surface temperatures cause marine heat waves][carbon neutrality would quell increase in marine heat waves] 

Ships at sea decrease air quality in mainland China
Air pollution from offshore ships increased ozone levels in coastal Chinese cities in 2017 by up to 22%, a new study finds. The effects of the shipping emissions were amplified on more polluted days, especially during warmer months. [JGR Atmospheres research] 

Atmospheric geoengineering could increase cold-related deaths
Stratospheric aerosol injection is a geoengineering technique that injects sunlight-reflecting particles high in the atmosphere to lower surface temperatures. Stratospheric aerosol injections in Beijing in the 2060s could reduce heat-related deaths among the elderly, but also increase cold-related deaths in the city’s aging population, new research finds. Prior research from GeoHealth found that heat-related deaths will overtake cold-related deaths by the end of the century, especially among older populations. [Earth’s Future research]  

Surface water and groundwater have declined in the Indus Basin over 20 years
The Indus Basin covers over one million square kilometers in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and China and supplies water to approximately 300 million people. Over the last 20 years, farming, human development and climate change have caused dramatic declines in both surface water and groundwater in downstream areas. In upstream areas, declines were more likely only caused by climate change. [Water Resources Research research] 

Human activities and climate change have tanked water levels in the Yangtze River
Water levels in the Yangtze River have decreased dramatically since the late 20th century. New research finds that human development, industrial activities and climate change have all contributed to runoff declines in the watersheds that surround the Upper Yangtze River. [Earth’s Future research] 

Old-growth trees are more water-savvy than younger trees
Older forests are more resilient to water shortages than younger forests, new research finds. Researchers used tree ring records and remote sensing to track old-growth and secondary-growth trees in an experimental forest in Oregon. They found that older trees stored more carbon and were more resistant to drought. [AGU Advances research] 

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Highly reflective noctilucent clouds, formed from large amounts of water vapor in the upper atmosphere, hang over Germany. New research finds that injections of water vapor into the upper atmosphere during space launches can form these icy clouds over the Arctic. Credit: Wikimedia commons/ Matthias Süßen/CC BY-SA 4.0

Featured Research

Weather “whiplash” taxes California’s water system
California relies on reservoirs and dams to generate power, fuel agriculture and feed waterways. Strong atmospheric river storms can end droughts, but rapid increases in reservoir water levels threaten dam infrastructure and reduce power generation. Future infrastructure projects should focus on creating more resilient reservoirs and recharging groundwater, according to a new study. [Water Resources Research research] 

Space launches spawn noctilucent summer clouds in the Arctic
Space traffic take-offs release large water vapor plumes. Within days, winds carry this vapor into the Arctic Circle, new research finds. In July, when the upper atmosphere is coldest, the water vapor can form noctilucent or “night shining” clouds 50 miles above the Earth. [Earth and Space Science research] 

A new look at old moon data: Apollo-era moonquakes more common than previously thought
New analysis of an archive of messy lunar quake observations, collected at Apollo landing sites between 1969 and 1977, finds that the Moon had 2.6 times more quakes during that period than previously known. The moon’s northern hemisphere was also more seismically active than its southern hemisphere, where NASA plans to land its Artemis III mission. [JGR Planets research] 

Cosmic electron beams could interfere with measurements of Europa’s ocean
Powerful electron beams discovered near Europa by the Juno spacecraft may affect the space environment surrounding the moon, which could alter how scientists measure Europa’s subsurface ocean. [Geophysical Research Letters research] 

Dim and slow meteors can still generate luminous trains
Meteors leave behind self-illuminating “trains” as they hurtle through the atmosphere. New observations of approximately 7,000 meteors reveal that meteor trains are more common than previously thought, and that slower-moving meteors leave trains just as frequently as faster-moving meteors. [JGR Space Physics research] 

Supersharp images reveal scars of major eruption on Io
Jupiter’s volcanic moon is captured in exquisite detail by an instrument atop a mountain in Arizona. [Eos research spotlight][Geophysical Research Letters research] 

Dry, cracked ground can “breathe” as environmental conditions change
Researchers used a network of fiber-optic cables to detect soil cracking in dry conditions, and found that soil cracks can expand and contract based on climate conditions. [Eos editor’s highlight][JGR Earth’s Surface research] 

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Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano in Tanzania. Its summit has been sinking for at least a decade, new research finds. Such “deflation” could be indicative of higher risk of catastrophic collapse. Credit: Christoph Strässler/flickr

AGU News

WaterSciCon is next week!
Press can register for free throughout the Water Science Conference, from 24-27 June in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The program features the confluence of science, policy and community and sessions coupling research to applied workshops. Interested reporters and press officers should email [email protected] with credentials. [press information][scientific program][media advisory]

Featured Research

Achieving carbon neutrality would stop marine heatwaves in their tracks
Marine heatwaves can cause acute environmental damage and chip away at species’ ability to survive. They’ve become more frequent, widespread and severe. But achieving carbon neutrality would halt that growth, dramatically limiting the area of ocean exposed to “permanent” heatwave conditions, according to new research. [Earth’s Future research]

Summit of unique Tanzanian volcano is sinking
Ol Doinyo Lengai is an active volcano in Tanzania, neighbor to Mount Kilimanjaro. Its summit has been sinking for at least a decade, new satellite-based analysis reports. Summit subsidence or “deflation” can be an indicator of the risk of catastrophic caldera collapse. [Geophysical Research Letters research]

Almost all the water from Tonga eruption remains in stratosphere
Nearly all of the water that the 2022 Hunga Tonga eruption injected into the atmosphere was still in the stratosphere and mesosphere as of November 2023, a new study reports. The water vapor could impact temperature and ozone. [JGR Atmospheres research]

Urban heat islands speed up winds in city “canopy”
A city’s structures can slow down wind; with buildings and other structures, a city’s surface is rough. But the heat island effect can counteract that slowing. A new study models why that happens in the megacity Shanghai and finds heating can increase the wind speed in the urban “canopy” by about 30%. [Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems research]

Expecting the unexpected could help us prepare for climate extremes
Too little consideration of high-impact, low-likelihood events has left us unprepared for the worst of climate change, scientists say in a new paper. [Earth’s Future commentary][Eos research spotlight]

Low water levels in the Mississippi River in September 2023. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory

AGU News

WaterSciCon press registration open
Registration is open for the Water Science Conference, a collaboration of AGU and the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI) convening 24-27 June in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The program features the confluence of science, policy and community and sessions coupling research to applied workshops. Interested reporters and press officers should email [email protected] with credentials. [press information][scientific program][media advisory]

Featured Research

Louisiana’s 2023 “dire” water crisis: why it happened and could hit again
In the summer and fall of 2023, Louisiana faced two water crises: a severe drought and such low water levels in the Mississippi River that saltwater began to creep up the channel, threatening already stressed drinking water supplies. High evaporation rates were mostly responsible for the conditions, a new study reveals, with low precipitation playing a secondary role. [LSU press release][Geophysical Research Letters research]

Top 20% of Shanxi coal mines emit half of region’s methane
The Shanxi province is China’s most prolific coal producer; coal mining is one of the world’s top methane sources. Coal producers in the region emitted 1.2 million tons of methane each year between 2021-2023, with about half of all emissions coming from just 20% of the facilities, a new study finds. The results challenge previous, lower estimates. [Geophysical Research Letters research]

Peat patches could expand, store more carbon as Arctic warms
Rapid warming in the Arctic is thawing permafrost, which can release vast volumes of carbon. But warmer temperatures may also prompt peat patches to grow, storing carbon as they do, a new study suggests. Peatlands growth might partially offset carbon release from permafrost thaw. [JGR Biogeosciences research]

Carbon storage in US cover crops less feasible than previously estimated
Cover crops are often pointed to as an important potential path for carbon storage. A new estimate of the potential for cover crops’ carbon storage in U.S. agricultural lands finds the “realistic” carbon storage is about a third of what was previously estimated,  [Earth’s Future research]

Planted windbreaks are crucial to erosion control in African deserts
Africa’s most arid landscapes are at risk of blowing away, and as more areas succumb to desertification, the erosion risk grows. Planting vegetated windbreaks is a crucial way to slow down winds and decrease erosion risk, a new study highlights. [Earth’s Future research]

Under a high-emissions pathway, the US West could lose its springtime snow cover by 2100, according to a new JGR Atmospheres paper. Credit: knowsphotos/flickr

AGU News

WaterSciCon press registration open
Registration is open for the Water Science Conference, a collaboration of AGU and the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI) convening 24-27 June in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The program features the confluence of science, policy and community and sessions coupling research to applied workshops. Interested reporters and press officers should email [email protected] with credentials. [press information][scientific program][media advisory]

Featured Research

The US West could see snow-free springs by 2100
“Snow droughts” occur when there is less snow on the ground than expected, leading to water shortages and heightened wildfire risk. Snow droughts in the West will worsen by five to nine times by 2100, primarily due to warmer temperatures, a new study finds. [JGR Atmospheres research]

Pikas create bare patches, warming permafrost in Tibetan Plateau
Pikas — the tiny, cute mammals often heard squeaking in alpine boulder fields — create bare patches of ground as they burrow. In shallow Tibetan soils with permafrost, that loss of vegetation led to a warming of 0.36 degrees Celsius. It’s a previously unexplored pathway for permafrost warming. [Geophysical Research Letters research]

Heatwaves during El Niño travel farther and more slowly
Heatwaves that occur under El Niño conditions tend to be more frequent, be more persistent, travel farther, and move more slowly than heatwaves under La Niña conditions, according to a new study that examined heatwaves from 1961 to 2020. The pattern held over all continents but was strongest in the tropics. [Geophysical Research Letters research]

More consistency in qualifying exams could help diversify geosciences
Scientists favor data-driven reasoning but administer graduate student qualifying exams, a critical milestone in a student’s career, with surprisingly little guiding data. Re-examining these exams may advance educational equity and quality. [AGU Advances research][Editor’s highlight]

Seals reveal new meltwater currents in Antarctic seas
By analyzing hydrographic information gathered by seals and an undersea glider, researchers found new meltwater currents, providing valuable insights into melt of the rapidly thinning West Antarctic Ice Sheet. [JGR Oceans research][Eos research spotlight]

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