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Ahead of the wave

By Stephen Ornes / February 13, 2013

Water pours ashore as a tsunami strikes the east coast of Japan on March 11, 2011. Credit: Mainichi Shimbun/Reuters

Scientists are working to predict — and tame — the tsunamis that can threaten some coastal communities

Posted in Earth | Tagged Dailin Wang, David Mencin, earth science, earthquakes, engineering, feature, forces, France, Great Lakes, Hawaii, Indonesia, Institut Fresnel, Invisibility, Japan, Marseille, motion, oceanography, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, Sébastien Guenneau, seiche, seismometers, strainmeters, tectonic plates, topstories, tsunami, waves and radiation, Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone National Park

Piercing a buried polar lake

By Janet Raloff / January 29, 2013

This 1,000-meter hose — spooled onto an enormous and very heavy container — was used as a drill to pierce deeply through Antarctica’s ice. Credit: J. Raloff/Science News for Kids

Researchers in Antarctica drilled through a half-mile of ice to reach water that hasn’t had contact with the atmosphere for thousands of years.

Posted in Earth | Tagged Antarctic Sun, Antarctica, bacteria, Brent Christner, ecology, ecosystems, Frank Rack, germs, getinvolved, hot-water drill, ice sheet, Jill Mikucki, John Priscu, Lake Ellsworth, Lake Vostok, Lake Whillans, Louisiana State University, Martin Siegert, microbes, microbiology, polar science, South Pole, subglacial lakes, Tristy Vick-Majors, University of Bristol, University of Montana, University of Nebraska, University of Tennessee, viruses, WISSARD

Surprising hot springs

By Sid Perkins / January 8, 2013

A lake sits in the crater of the Philippine’s Taal volcano. Scientists recently discovered that hot springs flowing into the lake come from a shallow source — the lake itself. Credit: MatthieuG/Wikimedia Commons

Scientists find shallow source of water for volcano’s hot springs

Posted in Earth | Tagged aquifer, Austin; University of California, Bayani Cardenas, Berkeley; Taal Volcano, getinvolved, groundwater, hot springs, hydrologist, hydrothermal vent, infrared, Michael Manga, Philippines, Steve Ingebritsen, thermal imaging, topstories, U.S. Geological Survey; USGS, University of Texas, volcano, volcanologist

Less ice, more seawater

By Stephen Ornes / December 20, 2012

Meltwater on the Greenland ice sheet carved this canyon.

Credit: Ian Joughin

Shrinking ice sheets contribute to rising sea levels, large-scale study confirms

Posted in Earth | Tagged Andrew Shepherd, Antarctica, Arctic, climate change, earth science, England, environmental science, getinvolved, glacier, global warming, Greenland, ice sheet, icebergs, Penn State University, satellites, sea level rise, snow, topstories, University of Leeds

Groundwater removal linked to quake

By Stephen Ornes / November 8, 2012

This map shows where a deadly earthquake struck in southeastern Spain in May 2011. Scientists say the earthquake was triggered by groundwater removal. Credit: USGS

Pumping water from the ground in southeastern Spain may have triggered a deadly 2011 earthquake there

Posted in Earth | Tagged earthquakes, farming, getinvolved, groundwater, human effects, Lorca, Pablo González, seismic waves, seismology, Spain, University of Western Ontario

Earth’s big breakup

By Stephen Ornes / October 16, 2012

Powerful motions beneath the Indian Ocean unleashed a series of earthquakes near Sumatra

Posted in Earth | Tagged aftershocks, Australia, crust, Earth Observatory of Singapore, Earth's crust, earthquakes, École Normale Supérieure in Paris, getinvolved, Himalayas, India, Indo-Australian plate, Indonesia, Kerry Sieh, Matthias Delescluse, physics, plate tectonics, seismology, Sumatra, tectonic plates

Making rocks into magnets

By Sid Perkins / September 28, 2012

Lodestone is the most magnetic and common type of natural magnet.Credit: Wikimedia/Ryan Somma

Lab experiments show one way that certain types of stones can morph into magnets

Posted in Chemistry, Earth | Tagged Charles Aubourg, claystone, crystals, Douglas Elmore, electrons, geology, getinvolved, lava, lodestone, magnet, magnetic field, magnetism, magnetite, mineral, nucleus, sedimentary rocks, topstories, University of Oklahoma, University of Pau and the Adour Countries

Icy inns at Earth’s end

By Stephen Ornes / September 26, 2012

Penguins like icebergs because they offer a safe perch in waters full of food — and foes. Credit: Nate Biletnikoff/National Science Foundation

Intrepid researchers discover icebergs host large and lively communities of life

Posted in Earth | Tagged B-15A, feature, global warming, Iceberg Alley, icebergs, Ken Smith, krill, leopard seals, Paul McGill, Penguins, phytoplankton, Ron Kaufmann, topstories, Weddell Sea

Iron versus climate change

By Roberta Kwok / August 9, 2012

A tiny organism called a diatom can absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and carry the carbon to the bottom of the ocean. Credit: Marina Montresor, SZN / Alfred Wegener Institute.

Metal deposits can promote the growth of ocean algae that gobble greenhouse gas

Posted in Earth | Tagged algae, bacteria/protists/fungi, carbon dioxide, climate change, diatom, Diatoms, energetics, getinvolved, global warming, iron, iron fertilization, nature, oceanography, photosynthesis, silica, southern ocean

Venting volcanoes

By Roberta Kwok / June 22, 2012

Volcanic eruptions can release huge amounts of bromine, a chemical that helps destroy Earth’s protective ozone layer. A large eruption 24,500 years ago created Nicaragua’s Apoyo Caldera, now a lake. Credit: Steffen Kutterolf/GEOMAR

Eruptions release bromine, a chemical that destroys ozone layer

Posted in Earth | Tagged bromine, getinvolved, Kirstin Krüger, ozone, Tamsin Mather, volcano

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