Wildfire-scarred landscapes smolder in British Columbia. Credit: Kerry Rawlinson/Unsplash

AGU News

AGU journalism awards go to Julia Rosen and Nicola Jones
AGU honors journalists Julia Rosen and Nicola Jones with the 2023 Journalism Awards. Rosen was awarded the Sullivan Award for her Hakai Magazine feature on crabbing and ocean deoxygenation, and Jones was awarded the Perlman Award for her Nature news story on how fossil fuel emissions are tampering with carbon dating. Congratulations! [full announcement]

Featured research

Modeling firefighting improves wildfire predictions
Wildfires can be hard to contain and even harder to predict, but a new study finds that including fire containment lines and maps on fuel moisture and density in predictive models can improve accuracy. With this data enhancing short-term predictions, firefighters and researchers are improving safety. [JGR Atmospheres research]

Paint the town… white? Higher albedo cools surrounding areas
Increasing a region’s albedo, or the amount of sunlight a surface reflects into space, does more than reduce local temperatures. Higher albedo can lead to more rainfall, which can cool surrounding areas as well. [Geophysical Research Letters research]

Geologic mapping of enigmatic continent Zealandia now complete
Zealandia is an ancient continent fragment that today sits mostly underwater. Scientists have now completed geologic mapping of the continent, providing new insights into the region’s geologic history. [Tectonics research]  

Flooded soil is bad at absorbing carbon dioxide
Flooding can decrease a soil’s capacity to absorb CO₂ from the atmosphere, as a new study of the devastating 2019 floods in the U.S. Midwest reveals. With floods becoming more common due to climate change, further study is needed to understand potential threats to this critical carbon sink, the researchers say. [JGR Atmospheres research]

After midnight in the upper atmosphere
High in the atmosphere, narrow bands of hot plasma called subauroral ion drifts can interrupt radar signals. A new study of drift occurrences reveals that uncommon, after-midnight plasma flows appear to be triggered by the same mechanism that drives more frequently observed evening flows.
[JGR Space Physics research][Eos research spotlight]

Optimizing carbonate classification on Mars
Combining data from several of the Perseverance rover’s spectroscopic sensors offers a more accurate means to classify carbonate minerals, which may hold hints of ancient life. [Earth and Space Science 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.

Downtown Calgary, Alberta. Credit: Wikimedia

Featured research

Air pollution harms Indigenous and low-income Canadians

Canada’s Indigenous peoples, including the First Nations, Métis and Inuit, and low-income communities are more likely to experience air pollution-related deaths than non-Indigenous, wealthier populations living in the same cities. This vulnerability is exacerbated by the fact that these groups have higher baseline mortality rates. [GeoHealth research]

Fewer tropical storms to hit South Asia, but they’ll be stronger

Climate change will reduce the number of tropical storms over the Ganges and Mekong river basins, but with a catch. The remaining storms will likely be more intense, increasing socio-economic loss for communities that already have limited capacity to mitigate disasters. [Geophysical Research Letters research]

The source of Callisto’s oxygen remains a mystery  

Previous observations of Jupiter’s second largest moon, Callisto, found molecular oxygen in Callisto’s atmosphere. Scientists assumed the atmosphere’s oxygen was caused by Jupiter’s magnetic field interacting with the moon’s icy surface. However, a new study shows that this source does not produce enough oxygen to match observations. Thus, Callisto must have another mechanism for oxygen formation. [JGR Planets research]

Antarctic heatwaves to be five degrees Celsius warmer by end of century

In March 2022, East Antarctica experienced a record-breaking heatwave following a record sea ice minimum. Scientists estimate that climate change made the heatwave two degrees Celsius higher, and by the end of the 21^st century, heatwaves will be up to five to six degrees Celsius higher. This would lead to near-melting temperatures over the East Antarctic ice cap during extreme heatwaves. [Geophysical Research Letters research]

Climate modeling, no supercomputer required

High-precision atmospheric modeling often requires expensive, power-intensive supercomputers, which are not available to many researchers globally. A new, simplified model requires fewer resources and maintains accuracy with only minor differences, opening climate research to scientists who lack supercomputer access. [Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems research]

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.

Credit: Simon Fanger/Unsplash

Featured research

Growing animals and crops together to feed the world’s population
As human populations grow, farmers need new ways to sustainably feed more people. One potential solution is rice-animal co-culture systems. By introducing animals, such as fish, ducks or crayfish, into rice fields, farmers can increase both animal and crop yields, creating more food and using resources more efficiently than monocultures alone. [Earth and Space Science commentary][Earth’s Future research]

What makes oceans form on planets?
With new space-observing technology such as the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists are taking a closer look at what planets need to form water oceans. A new study finds that early Venus would need just 13% of Earth’s ocean mass for oceans to form, depending on cloud cover and albedo. The model also supports existing ideas that two planets outside of the Solar System are likely to have liquid water. [JGR Planets research]

Mars is significantly less mineralogically diverse than Earth
Mars and Earth are close in age and share some of their mineral formation mechanisms, yet the Red Planet’s mineral diversity pales in comparison to Earth’s. New research suggests that Mars’ limited mineralogy is caused by a lack of plate tectonics and life. Scientists predict that Mars’ mineral diversity is 10 times smaller than that of Earth. [JGR Planets research]

New Australian lake would not create more rainfall
Central Australia has a dry, arid climate and frequently struggles with drought. An Australian engineer in the 1930s proposed a plan to create a permanent inland lake to alleviate local water insecurity, and supporters of this plan have pointed out that the lake could increase precipitation as well. However, a new study finds that the lake’s impacts to rainfall would be negligible. [Geophysical Research Letters research]

Warmer oceans and wind bursts behind 2021’s extreme Atlantic Niño
The Atlantic Niño plays an important role in the development of El Niño and hurricanes near the coast of West Africa. In 2021, the Atlantic experienced the most extreme Atlantic Niño since records began in the 1970s, flooding multiple West African countries. Researchers found that the event was preconditioned by warmer ocean temperatures and finally triggered by a week-long westerly wind burst event. [Geophysical Research Letters research]

It’s too hot for fans in many US cities
Electric fans keep people cool in a warming world. But new research shows there are increasing numbers of hours when, and places where, just using a fan to keep cool won’t cut it. When temperatures rise above 35°C, fans no longer prevent heat-related illnesses, and in the past 2 decades, on average, U.S. residents have experienced roughly twice as many hours when fan use is unsafe compared with 50–70 years ago. [GeoHealth research] [Eos research spotlight]

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Visit the AGU Newsroom to read about the latest science from AGU’s 23 journals, get updates about our organization, register for complimentary press access to AGU journals, and find topical experts. Visit eos.org to read Research Spotlights and Editors’ Highlights.

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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.

A landscape on the Tibetan Plateau. Credit:flickr

Plate tectonics roundup
In honor of the recently deceased W. Jason Morgan, who helped advance the theory of plate tectonics, explore more recent developments in this evolving field:

• A mechanism for tectonics in massive super-Earths. [Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems]
• Seven ages of Earth through a continental lens. [Reviews of Geophysics] [Editors’ Vox]
• A geophysicist’s recollections of how the ideas of plate tectonics evolved in recent decades [Tectonics paper]
• Did the Neoproterozoic revolution extend to the deep mantle? [AGU Advances]
• Animation: Continents collide and break apart over time [AGU YouTube]
• Rises, trenches, great faults and crustal blocks (Morgan, 1968) [Journal of Geophysical Research]

Featured research

Increased ozone reduces rain over South Asia
Stratospheric ozone depletion in the late 20^th century enhanced deep convection and increased rainfall over the Tibetan Plateau, a region where the local population is already vulnerable to hydrological disasters like flooding. However, successful measures to reduce ozone depletion in the early 21^st century have begun to decrease rainfall, potentially reducing hazard risks. [Geophysical Research Letters research]

Noise exposure negatively impacts overall human health, not only hearing
A recent study compiled the most comprehensive review on noise exposure’s effects on human health to date. While most research focuses on auditory health, this study reports on noise exposure in relation to extra-auditory systems, including circulatory and nervous disorders, gastrointestinal and endocrine dysfunction, and cancer risk. [GeoHealth research]

Climate change to cause snow drought in western US
Rising temperatures will reduce snow water storage in the western U.S., decreasing the volume of snowmelt downstream in the spring and summer. The reduction in snowmelt will not be uniform throughout the western U.S., making it difficult for populations to prepare for changes in water resources. [Water Resources Research research]

Detecting hurricane-triggered tornadoes
It’s difficult to forecast tornadoes that accompany tropical cyclones post-landfall, but a new study finds that subtle changes in low-level rotation and convergence could improve prediction. Their findings suggest that rotation and convergence are more useful than lightning for detecting tropical cyclone-triggered tornadoes in real-time, as most of the tornadoes are not preceded by lightning. [JGR Atmospheres research]

Visualizing deep inside planets and moons
Scientists are using a new method, dubbed THeBOOGIe, to determine where density anomalies lie inside planetary bodies. The flexibility and statistical strength of THeBOOGIe may help scientists visualize the interiors of planets and moons for which seismic and geophysical data are lacking. [Earth and Space Science research] [Eos research spotlight]

Biogeochemical insights from a major Amazonian river
To track human-driven environmental changes of rivers and their basins, scientists first need detailed evaluations of a river’s chemical composition. A new study reveals seasonal changes in the Amazon’s Tocantins River carbon and nitrogen content, reflecting a source shift from terrestrial to riverine organic matter. [JGR Biogeosciences research] [Eos research spotlight]

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Visit the AGU Newsroom to read about the latest science from AGU’s 23 journals, get updates about our organization, register for complimentary press access to AGU journals, and find topical experts. Visit eos.org to read Research Spotlights and Editors’ Highlights.

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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.

Like the oceans, water in the Great Lakes is heating up as climate change progresses. Credit: NOAA

Featured research 

The Great Lakes are heating up
The Great Lakes in the U.S. Midwest have complex climate effects, and accurately modeling those effects can be difficult. New and improved models capture more of that complexity and reflect lake surface temperatures more accurately, revealing higher temperatures than previously estimated. [Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems research] 

Today’s high methane emission rates are similar to 20,000 years ago
Atmospheric methane has been increasing rapidly since 2006, and a new study finds that emissions from wetlands — particularly in the tropics — are partially responsible. Current methane rates are on par with the scale of methane release that occurred when the ice sheets melted at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum, likely also due to wetland emissions. In both cases, rapid changes in methane emissions are linked to global climate swings. [Global Biogeochemical Cycles research] 

School greenery improves academic performance
Plant life surrounding schools is associated with higher academic performance at public schools in Santiago, Chile. The researchers suggest that vegetation around schools could reduce educational and environmental inequalities in the Global South’s urban areas. [GeoHealth research] 

Ground penetrating radar reveals lunar lava layers
China’s Chang’E-4 rover sent electromagnetic pulses into the Moon’s interior and uncovered layered lava flows and a crater beneath the surface. These layers of hardened lava are evidence of a series of basalt eruptions that took place billions of years ago. The layers become thinner as they near the surface, suggesting a decrease in eruption size over time. [JGR Planets research] 

US Gulf and northwest coasts most susceptible to high-tide floods
Sea level rise co-occurring with other sea-level processes (i.e., seasonal sea level variability, surge and other sea-level components) exacerbates high-tide flooding, a new study finds. These processes are increasing the magnitude and frequency of high-tide floods across the northwestern and Gulf coasts in particular. [JGR Oceans research]  

Spacecraft housekeeping sensors can scan for solar spray
Many spacecraft have devices to monitor the craft’s “health,” including the presence of solar energetic particles (i.e., protons, electrons and heavy ions). A new study reveals the unintended potential to use these “health monitors” as a vast network to detect bursts of solar energetic particles where monitors are otherwise absent. [Space Weather research] 

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Urban greenery may help reduce stroke risk by cleaning up the air, according to new research in AGU’s journal GeoHealth. Credit: Uwe Conrad/Unsplash

Featured research

Air pollution could raise the risk of stroke — plants can help
Exposure to fine particulate pollution called PM2.5 can have long-term impacts on blood flow to the brain, which is an important stroke risk factor, a new study finds. The team found that areas with more urban greenery had better health outcomes due to plants’ ability to reduce air pollution, suggesting an increase in urban greenery could reduce the risk of damage to brain health. [GeoHealth research]

A glimpse into Venus provides more evidence for volcanoes
A low viscosity zone in Venus’ mantle could indicate the presence of partial melting, a new study finds. Like Earth, movement in the mantle’s low viscosity zone is responsible for magmatic activity and is crucial for volcanic formation and eruption. The presence of partial melt in Venus’ interior is a major step forward for identifying Venus as a volcanically active planet. [Geophysical Research Letters research]

Tree rings predict avalanche conditions in Alaska
A new study used tree rings taken from trees in avalanche paths to find a correlation between avalanches and climate. The team found that large avalanches occur during winters with higher-than-normal winter precipitation and colder temperatures. Researchers suggest that policymakers in avalanche-prone areas could use this information to inform infrastructure planning and avalanche mitigation. [JGR Earth Surface research]

Melting permafrost is sinking northwest Canada
Rising temperatures are thawing permafrost in northwest Canada quicker than most studies measure, a new study finds. Without permafrost, the land loses part of its structural integrity and starts to subside over time. Improved understanding of the conditions that affect permafrost thawing could help reduce its impact on human activities, landscapes and ecosystems. [JGR Earth Surface research]

Mud could have shaped meandering rivers long before plants arrived
New evidence from 1.2-billion-year-old rocks suggests that single, winding channels could have formed in muddy floodplain sediments without the stabilizing help of vegetation. Meandering-style rivers have been found in barren landscapes on Earth, and similar features have been spotted on Mars. Researchers determined that single-channel rivers can form in fine sediments alone, challenging the idea that plants originally caused water to flow in concentrated channels. [Geophysical Research Letters research] [Eos research spotlight]

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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

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Featured Video

Drought in Yellowstone could reduce snow and help detect geyser eruptions
Seismometers can detect geyser eruptions, but a new study on Yellowstone National Park’s Steamboat Geyser finds that several centimeters of snow can dampen those seismic signals. However, another study on Steamboat finds that the geyser is sensitive to its climate, going dormant for decades at a time during droughts. A drier Yellowstone might make it easier to detect geyser eruptions, but would there be any eruptions to detect? [Geophysical Research Letters research] [Video] [Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems research] [Press release]

Featured research

Earth’s temperature would be hotter without volcanoes and fires
Stratospheric aerosols from volcanoes and wildfires slow down the rate of global warming, a new study finds. In the past decade, aerosols from volcanoes and wildfires have offset about 26% of the increase in radiative forcing and 20% of the increase in the planet’s surface temperature — but these aerosols won’t be able to cool down Earth for much longer as greenhouse gas concentrations increase.  [Geophysical Research Letters research]

Gulf Stream to weaken 29% by end of century
Rising temperatures will cause the Atlantic Ocean’s Gulf Stream to weaken by 29% and the Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) to weaken by 47% by the end of the century, a new study finds. Researchers found that the weakening in the DWBC in turn will cause the Gulf Stream to weaken as it compensates for the declining current. [Geophysical Research Letters research]

InSight rover confirms 70s-era predecessors first to detect marsquakes
In 1976, NASA’s Viking mission sent the first successful landers to Mars. One lander detected possible signs of marsquakes, but the Viking team was unable to confirm their origins at the time. More than four decades later, NASA’s InSight rover landed on Mars and retrieved the evidence necessary to close the knowledge gap and confirm the marsquakes. [JGR Planets research]

One cold-season rain event melts Greenland as much as entire summer
A single warm rain during the cold season caused Greenland’s firn layer, a type of ice between snow and glacial ice, to heat up by 6° to 23°C in a day. The findings from this new study demonstrate that minor changes to the region’s precipitation could have major impacts for Greenland’s Ice Sheet. [Geophysical Research Letters research]

China’s forests are getting older, and that’s good news for carbon neutrality
Chinese forest cover area has doubled in the past 40 years, and a recent study finds that in about that time frame the average age of China’s forests has increased from 18.2 to 44 years old. The team determined that China’s forests will likely reach an average age of 71.6 years by 2060, increasing their ability to store carbon and helping the country reach its goal of carbon neutrality. [JGR Biogeosciences research]

A mystery about the Moon’s deep interior endures
Like the Moon pulls tides on Earth, our planet causes deformation on the Moon. Geophysical data recording the deformation suggest that either the Moon has a hot, partially molten layer deep under its surface, or that layer is cool and solid but deforming slowly. We still don’t know the answer. [JGR Planets research] [Eos Editors’ Highlight]

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Visit the AGU Newsroom to read about the latest science from AGU’s 23 journals, get updates about our organization, register for complimentary press access to AGU journals, and find topical experts. Visit eos.org to read Research Spotlights and Editors’ Highlights. Update your subscription preferences here.

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 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.

A bushfire in 2012. Credit: bertknot/flickr

Featured research 

Mega forest fires mean mega flood risk for southeast Australia 

Wildfires, which are becoming more frequent in many places due to climate change, are increasing runoff and river flooding in southeastern Australia, a new study finds. This means people living in fire-prone areas may face higher flood risk following wildfires. [Geophysical Research Letters research] 

Tree rings shed light on 600 years of atmospheric rivers along the US West Coast 

Tree records of stormy years are helping put current events into historical context, and point to multi-decade cycles of atmospheric river activity. Recent surges in these storms may fall within that historical variation or be a consequence of climate warming, but researchers say it’s too soon to tell. [JGR Atmospheres research] 

Thunderstorms create more planet-warming cirrus clouds  

Convective storms contribute to nearly 60% of the monthly mean global area coverage of cirrus clouds, which are known to have a warming effect on the planet, a new study finds. A warmer climate would increase the conditions necessary for thunderstorms — creating more cirrus clouds and warming Earth’s surface temperature even more. [Geophysical Research Letters research] 

Warmer temperatures increase snow loss off Arctic sea ice 

Snow on Arctic sea ice can be blown into cracks known as “leads,” reducing the amount of snow on the ice’s surface, where it slows both ice growth and melt. Scientists have discovered that if there is fresh snowfall during uncommonly warm and windy conditions, a larger amount of snow will be blown into the ocean. The role of temperature in snow loss may become more important in a future, warmer Arctic. [Geophysical Research Letters research] 

Tracking human carbon dioxide emissions from medium-sized cities 

Atmospheric models, combined with local observations, tracked modest carbon dioxide emission reductions in Salt Lake City during the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. These emission decreases coincided with about a 30% reduction in average traffic volume. [Eos Editors’ Highlight] [JGR Atmospheres research] 

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Visit the AGU Newsroom to register for access to AGU journals and find experts and featured research in various topic areas. Visit eos.org to read Research Spotlights and Editors’ Highlights.  

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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.