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Earth Science

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 25-Oct-2026 13:16 ET (25-Oct-2026 17:16 GMT/UTC)

Digital twins could help melt the mystery of Alaska’s thawing permafrost

Penn State
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at Penn State have developed an artificial intelligence-powered modeling framework that uses fiber-optic sensors to monitor and predict permafrost degradation in the Arctic, offering a new tool for monitoring the stability of buildings and roads in this warming climate.

Southeast University and Korea University study map sustainable biomass-to-energy pathways

Cactus Communications
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Biomass chemical looping is emerging as a promising route for producing renewable energy and chemicals while enabling efficient carbon management. A comprehensive review highlights advances in hydrogen, methanol, syngas, and power generation pathways, alongside the growing role of machine learning in oxygen carrier design and process optimization. The study also evaluates lifecycle and economic performance, identifying biomass chemical looping as a sustainable platform for future low-carbon energy systems.

Journal: Journal of Energy Chemistry

One of the Earth’s most important plate boundaries is older than previously thought

Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

16 June 2026/Kiel. A chain of remote islands and underwater volcanoes between Alaska and Kamchatka has revealed a much older chapter in Earth’s tectonic history than previously known. Along the Aleutian Arc, the Pacific Plate dives beneath the North American Plate, creating one of the most active and important plate boundaries on Earth. An international research team from Germany, Russia and the USA has now shown that this subduction zone began at least 56 million years ago, significantly earlier than previous models had assumed. The finding sheds new light on a major reorganization of plate motions around the Pacific and may also help scientists better understand ancient global climate change. The study has now been published in the renowned journal Nature Communications.

Journal: Nature Communications

Molecular fossils reveal secrets of Earth’s recovery from ancient global warming event

University of Southampton
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists have uncovered new evidence from one of Earth’s most extreme ancient warming events, revealing how the climate may recover long after human-driven CO₂ emissions cease.

Journal: Nature Geoscience

Why dissolved black carbon does not simply disappear in water

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Dissolved black carbon, a water-soluble fraction of black carbon produced from incomplete combustion and biochar, has long been viewed as a mobile form of carbon that can move from soils into rivers, lakes, estuaries, and oceans. A new review published in Biochar shows that its journey through the environment is far more complex than simple transport in water.

Journal: Biochar

AMS Science Preview: 30-day forecasts? Little ice age, wave-dampening hurricanes

American Meteorological Society
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Recent research in AMS journals discusses the possibility of 30-day weather forecasts; whether the Little Ice Age was caused by depopulation of the Americas; the cooling effects of multi-year La Niña; AI translation of weather warnings; and more.

New imaging system sees through murky waters

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Reports and Proceedings

Sonar-MASt3R is a new underwater mapping technique developed at MIT and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) that may allow vehicles to see through murky, low-visibility waters.

Funder: NASA Headquarters

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