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Earth Science

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 10-Jun-2026 12:16 ET (10-Jun-2026 16:16 GMT/UTC)

A smarter way to measure how streams clean themselves

KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A widely used method for measuring how well streams absorb excess nutrients has a hidden flaw: it systematically overestimates uptake length under high-nutrient conditions. Researchers at Duke Kunshan University have derived a corrected zero-order analytical approach that better captures stream nutrient processing when nutrients are abundant, improving the accuracy of tools used to assess river health and guide restoration decisions.

Journal: HydroResearch
Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China

Large-scale eDNA survey reveals "hidden" factors that affect regional fish communities

Advanced Institute for Marine Ecosystem Change (AIMEC), Tohoku University and JAMSTEC
Peer-Reviewed Publication

We don’t have time to count every fish in the ocean! Environmental DNA or eDNA allows us to see where fish live by analyzing DNA in seawater – such as from shed scales or skin. This Japan-wide eDNA survey conducted by the Advanced Institute for Marine Ecosystem Change (WPI-AIMEC), Tohoku University & JAMSTEC, revealed hidden factors of the ecological niches that affect shifts in fish distributions.

Journal: Scientific Reports

The dam dilemma: How to build dams to best protect community, environment

Michigan State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Why this matters:

Hydropower is a major source of clean energy, including via dams, but building dams can come at a cost by disrupting communities, wildlife and river ecosystems.

MSU researchers worked with an international research team and found that better planning, especially involving local communities and using a mix of energy sources like solar and wind, can reduce dam construction harms.

The findings highlight a key challenge in the clean energy transition: how to expand renewable power without damaging the people and environments it is meant to protect. The researchers are working to advance global conversations on how to address the challenges surrounding dam projects.

Journal: Nature Sustainability

Researchers document PFAS in Great Lakes rain and snow

University of Minnesota
Reports and Proceedings

Minnesota Sea Grant researchers documented PFAS as a persistent presence in the Great Lakes atmosphere, with PFAS appearing in every rain and snow sample collected during a two-year project across Minnesota and Michigan. The researchers will present three analyses from the United States Geological Survey-funded project, Tracing Atmospherically Deposited PFAS from Source to Sediment in the Great Lakes Region, at the National Atmospheric Deposition Program Scientific Symposium, June 9-12, 2026, in Madison, Wisconsin.

Meeting: National Atmospheric Deposition Program Scientific Symposium

The life story of the critically endangered Rice's whale, estimated to have just 50 remaining adults, is evidenced in new analysis of the hormones it stores in its baleen throughout its life

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The life story of the critically endangered Rice's whale, estimated to have just 50 remaining adults, is evidenced in new analysis of the hormones it stores in its baleen throughout its life

Journal: PLOS One

Stephanie Plaza-Torres named 2026–2027 GSA-USGS Congressional Science Fellow as program marks 40 years

Geological Society of America
Grant and Award Announcement

Stephanie Plaza-Torres has been named the 2026–2027 Geological Society of America (GSA)–U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Congressional Science Fellow.

Bigger and wetter storms mean drier conditions over time

Dartmouth College
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study is the first to show that annual rainfall packed into bigger, wetter storms means less water for ecosystems and aquifers, even if total precipitation increases. The researchers report that annual rainfall for much of the world has condensed into heavier storms with longer dry periods since 1980. They project more consolidation due to climate change, with an increase of just 2 degrees Celsius bringing abnormally dry conditions to more than a quarter of the global population, even with more rainfall.

Journal: Nature

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