EurekAlert! News by Subject: Earth Science - News by Subject: Earth Science

Earth Science

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 13-Jul-2025 00:11 ET (13-Jul-2025 04:11 GMT/UTC)

17-Jun-2025

WVU researchers offer hard-hit communities solutions for flood recovery and resilience

West Virginia University
Grant and Award Announcement

Long before flash floods damaged communities in parts of the Mountain State this month, West Virginia University researchers were studying community resilience in flood-devastated areas of the state. The toolkit they developed will help communities better prepare for such emergencies and recover quicker.

Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation

17-Jun-2025

Revealing bias characteristics of cloud diurnal variation to aid climate model tuning and improvement

Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researcher from Fudan University selected a global climate model, FGOALS-f3-L, to reveal the bias characteristics of CDV in this model.

Journal: Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Letters

16-Jun-2025

GSA division renamed to reflect expanded mission embracing geoheritage

Geological Society of America
Business Announcement

The Geological Society of America (GSA) is pleased to announce that its History and Philosophy of Geology Division has officially changed its name to the History, Philosophy, and Geoheritage (HPG) Division. The decision, approved by an overwhelming majority of the Division’s members, reflects a broadened mission that embraces geoheritage as a vital pillar of the geosciences.

16-Jun-2025

AMS Science Preview: Gun violence & weather; NOAA flights improve hurricane forecasts; atmospheric rivers and radio waves

American Meteorological Society
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Early online research in journals of the American Meteorological Society features topics including the relationship between hot, dry air and gun violence in New York City; the importance of NOAA research flights to improve hurricane track forecatss; lightning-initiated wildfires; and studies on how personal experience of extreme weather interacts with political preferences to shape views on climate change.

16-Jun-2025

Thick clay layers on Mars may have been stable place for ancient life

University of Texas at Austin
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The planet Mars is home to thick layers of clay that can span hundreds of feet. Since they need water to form, these outcrops have long been of interest to scientists looking for signs of past life on the Red Planet.

In a new study in Nature Astronomy, scientists from The University of Texas at Austin and collaborators took a closer at these clay terrains and found that most formed near standing bodies of surface water, which were common on Mars billions of years ago. This environment would help foster the chemical weathering needed to create thick, mineral-rich layers of clay and could have provided the right mix of water, minerals and a calm environment for life to develop.

Journal: Nature Astronomy

13-Jun-2025

Tiny and toxic: Researchers track smaller air pollution particles across U.S. skies

Washington University in St. Louis
Peer-Reviewed Publication

To help understand air pollution health effects, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis quantify how the amount of submicron particles in the air has changed over the past 25 years.

Journal: The Lancet Planetary Health

13-Jun-2025

Amazon trees under pressure: New study reveals how forest giants handle light and heat

Michigan State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a recent study published in New Phytologist, researchers at Michigan State University have uncovered how Amazon rainforest canopy trees manage the intense sunlight they absorb — revealing resilience to hot and dry conditions in the forest canopy while also offering a way to greatly improve the monitoring of canopy health under increasing extreme conditions. The study was made possible by funding from the National Science Foundation and NASA.

Journal: New Phytologist