EurekAlert! News by Subject: Earth Science

Earth Science

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 24-Oct-2026 03:16 ET (24-Oct-2026 07:16 GMT/UTC)

13-Jul-2026

Biochar’s hidden chemistry may help protect soil carbon, but the effect depends on soil type

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Biochar is widely promoted as a tool for improving soil health and storing carbon. Yet its effects on soil carbon are not always consistent. New research published in Biochar shows that part of the explanation may lie in highly reactive molecules produced by persistent free radicals within biochar.

Journal: Biochar

13-Jul-2026

AMS Science Preview: Texas floods, deformed cities, Olympic weather

American Meteorological Society
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The American Meteorological Society continuously publishes research on climate, weather, and water in its 12 journals. Many of these articles are available for early online access — they have passed peer-review but are not yet in their final published form. Below are some recent examples of online and early-online research.

Journal: Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society

13-Jul-2026

As national drought deepens, a new AI model helps balance water demands

Virginia Tech
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Virginia Tech researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model designed to help policymakers manage growing competition between agriculture and semiconductor manufacturing, as drough strains water supplies across the United States.

Journal: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management

13-Jul-2026

Unveiling China's lake secrets: Climate and pollution drive vast carbon shifts

Carbon Research, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Lakes, often called the 'lungs of the land,' play a fundamental role in the global carbon cycle, acting as significant reservoirs of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and sources of greenhouse gases. Understanding how this vital organic carbon pool responds to environmental changes is crucial, yet large-scale drivers of lake DOM composition and their interaction with climate change have remained poorly understood. A comprehensive study led by Siyue Li from the Wuhan Institute of Technology has provided unprecedented insights into these dynamics across China's diverse lake ecosystems.

Journal: Carbon Research
Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Hubei Province Major Special Project for the Development of Agricultural Microbial Industry, Scientific Research Foundation of Wuhan Institute of Technology, Scientific Research Foundation of Wuhan Institute of Technology

13-Jul-2026

WVU engineers develop AI system to speed satellite tracking of wildfires

West Virginia University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new artificial intelligence system developed by West Virginia University engineers could help firefighters respond to wildfires sooner by enabling satellites to detect blazes and automatically adjust their positions for continued monitoring.

Journal: Journal of Aerospace Information Systems
Funder: NASA West Virginia Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research

13-Jul-2026

[Research Article] Context-aware landmark recognition in location-based augmented reality: A switching framework with a MobileNet backbone for cultural heritage engagement

Big Earth Data
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study published in Big Earth Data proposes a switching-based pervasive augmented reality (AR) framework that integrates location-based AR (LBAR), deep learning (DL), and context-awareness to improve landmark recognition and cultural heritage engagement in smart cities. Through end-to-end implementation and real-world testing in Tehran, the framework significantly enhanced landmark detection accuracy compared with conventional LBAR systems, while demonstrating high user satisfaction and potential for sustainable urban planning. The dataset used in this study is not shared publicly due to copyright restrictions. However, to support reproducibility, all source code developed for data preprocessing, model training, and evaluation has been made openly available at https://github.com/mhvahidnia/tehran-img-classification-webapp/.

Journal: Big Earth Data

13-Jul-2026

Society of Vertebrate Paleontology urges preservation of scientifically significant fossils in public trust ahead of T. rex auction

Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
Business Announcement

The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) recognizes the public excitement surrounding the upcoming auction of "Gus," an exceptionally complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton. While spectacular dinosaur fossils capture the imaginations of people around the world, SVP emphasizes that specimens of this scientific importance represent far more than rare collectibles.

SVP's longstanding position is that scientifically significant vertebrate fossils should be permanently curated in accredited museums, universities, and other public research institutions where they remain available for scientific investigation, education, and public exhibition. These institutions ensure that specimens are preserved, documented, and accessible for future generations.