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

Earth Science

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 13-May-2025 19:09 ET (13-May-2025 23:09 GMT/UTC)

NASA’s Ezie launching to study magnetic fingerprints of Earth’s aurora

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Business Announcement

High above Earth’s poles, intense electrical currents called electrojets flow through the upper atmosphere when auroras glow in the sky. In March, NASA plans to launch its EZIE (Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer) mission to learn more about these powerful currents, in the hopes of ultimately mitigating the effects of such space weather for humans on Earth.

Landmark polar sciences experiment announced for next decade

Cambridge University Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Humanity’s oldest and longest-running climate experiment, the International Polar Year (IPY), will run for the fifth time in history next decade, with IPY-5 planned for 2032-2033. IPY-5 could be the most consequential iteration of the experiment yet, writes researcher Paul Arthur Berkman in a new paper in Cambridge Prisms: Coastal Futures. There is no time to lose in studying the Arctic and working towards climate solutions. The Arctic in particular is also a region of geopolitical complexities with superpowers, and Arctic research is incomplete without all nations.

Journal: Cambridge Prisms Coastal Futures

How many trees are there in China?

Science China Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a paper published in Science Bulletin, China’s scientists presented the newest evidence of how many trees exist in China. In 2020, China had ~142.6 billion trees—equivalent to ~100 trees per person.

Journal: Science Bulletin

Coastal erosion threatens this ancient city — and others much closer to home

University of Southern California
Peer-Reviewed Publication

USC research on the vanishing coastlines of Alexandria, Egypt, offers nature-based solutions for protecting coastal cities globally, including those in California.

Journal: Earth's Future
Funder: USC Arid Climates and Water Research Center (AWARE), Jet Propulsion Laboratory, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Alexander Von Humboldt Foundation, Technical University of Munich

How mosquitos hear may inspire new ways to detect natural disasters

Purdue University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

One of nature’s most disliked creatures may very well unlock a breakthrough in disaster response. A multidisciplinary Purdue University research team is recreating mosquito antennae to better study their sensitivity to vibrations.

Journal: Acta Biomaterialia
Funder: Air Force Office of Scientific Research, U.S. National Science Foundation

Rooftop panels, EV chargers, and smart thermostats could chip in to boost power grid resilience

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

After a cyber attack or natural disaster, a backup network of decentralized devices — like residential solar panels, batteries, electric vehicles, heat pumps, and water heaters — could restore electricity or relieve stress on the grid, MIT engineers find.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Funder: U.S. Department of Energy, MIT Energy Initiative

Scientists call for efforts to protect habitats of critically endangered shark species

University of Plymouth
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The whitefin swellshark has been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Critically Endangered for a number of years due to declines largely attributed to fishing practices. New research at the University of Plymouth suggests it will be forced to move and adapt under the future ocean conditions presently forecast as a result of climate change, but that finding a new home may pose challenges

Journal: PeerJ

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