Intense, short-lived summer downpours are expected to become both more frequent and more intense across Alpine regions as the climate warms. In a new study, scientists from the University of Lausanne (UNIL) and the University of Padova analyzed data from nearly 300 mountain weather stations and found that a 2°C rise in regional temperature could double the frequency of these extreme events.

The strength of Earth's magnetic field has correlated with fluctuations in atmospheric oxygen for hundreds of millions of years, according to a newly released analysis by NASA scientists, suggesting that processes deep inside the Earth might influence habitability on the planet’s surface.

Before the ‘Out of Africa’ migration that led humans into Eurasia and beyond, new research shows that humans expanded their niche to include African forests and deserts. The authors argue that human populations learning to adapt to new and challenging habitats was key to the long-term success of this dispersal.

Fraunhofer IAF is presenting the latest version of its compact integrated quantum magnetometer at World of Quantum in Munich. The diamond-based system is characterized by its robustness, high integration density, and state-of-the-art measurement sensitivity. Thanks to its easy calibration, high sensitivity of a few picotesla, and high dynamic range, it offers new measurement possibilities for a wide range of applications in biomedicine, materials testing, navigation, and geology.

New research reveals the importance of winter sea ice in the year-to-year variability of the amount of atmospheric CO₂ absorbed by a region of the Southern Ocean.

In years when sea ice lasts longer in winter, the ocean will overall absorb 20% more CO₂ from the atmosphere than in years when sea ice forms late or disappears early. This is because sea ice protects the ocean from strong winter winds that drive mixing between the surface of the ocean and its deeper, carbon-rich layers.

The findings, based on data collected in a coastal system along the west Antarctic Peninsula, show that what happens in winter is crucial in explaining this variability in CO₂ uptake.