One of the most severe hail events ever documented in Spain occurred on August 30, 2022, in Gerona, north-eastern Spain. Hailstones as large as 12cm caused extensive damage to buildings, vehicles, and agricultural areas, resulting in 67 injuries and one fatality. This extreme weather event caught the attention of researchers due to its rarity and
Earth
The South Asian monsoon season is a critical time for over a billion people in the Indian subcontinent, as heavy rains can have a significant impact on agriculture and urban planning. Predicting when these rains will come is essential for farmers to plan their harvests and for city officials to prepare for potential flooding. However,
El Niño, a climate pattern characterized by warmer waters in the eastern Pacific, has been responsible for bringing record heat and heavy precipitation across the world in recent years. A new study published in Science Advances has found that these events may become even stronger due to the melting Arctic sea ice. The study, conducted
A recent study has revealed alarming information about the impact of climate change on global heat waves. The study found that since 1979, heat waves are moving at a slower pace, resulting in higher temperatures over larger areas for longer periods of time. This means that more people are being exposed to extreme heat for
Ice Streams and their Impact Each day, in the remote region of Antarctica, massive glaciers navigate their way across the ice-covered landscape. These frozen rivers, known as ice streams, serve as the primary conduits for carrying vast amounts of ice and sediment debris towards the ocean. Recently, research conducted by Washington University in St. Louis
A groundbreaking study conducted by scientists at the University of Cambridge and Trent University in Canada has introduced a comprehensive water quality analysis that can pinpoint the source of pollutants in rivers and freshwater lakes. This innovative approach utilizes high-resolution mass spectrometry to detect microparticles from car tires, pesticides from farmers’ fields, toxins from harmful
A team of researchers from Yale University has embarked on a groundbreaking study to uncover the complex geological processes occurring near the boundary of Earth’s core and mantle. Led by graduate student Jonathan Wolf and seismologist Maureen Long, the study, recently published in the journal Nature Geoscience, delves 1,800 miles beneath the Earth’s surface to
The study conducted by Northern Arizona University ecologist Andrew Richardson sheds light on the grave consequences of warming temperatures on northern forests that go beyond what current climate models have predicted. The research emphasizes that even slight temperature increases in boreal forests can result in a drastic reduction in snowpack, which in turn leads to
The rise in greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere has led to an increase in the impact of climate change, prompting the scientific community to search for innovative solutions. One such solution is the concept of Marine Cloud Brightening (MCB), which involves injecting salt spray into shallow marine clouds to increase their reflectivity and reduce
As climate change continues to be a pressing issue, the vulnerability of soil carbon to microbial decomposition under warmer temperatures is a growing concern. Soil organic matter, which contains more carbon than plants and the atmosphere combined, plays a crucial role in climate mitigation. However, with global temperatures on the rise, it is essential to
Spring weather brings welcome conditions for flowers and plant life to bloom across the land. The right mixture of temperature, moisture, and light helps keep the green world vibrant. Underwater plant life generally responds to similar environmental encouragements, but a curious discovery in Lake Erie circa 2012 led microbiologists to study an unseasonal display of
Plastic pollution in the ocean is a serious problem that continues to escalate. Millions of tons of plastics find their way into the ocean each year, resulting from various sources such as rivers, wind, shipping, and fishing activities. As plastic waste gradually weathers and disintegrates into small particles, marine animals are at risk of ingesting
Recent oceanic research has provided compelling evidence of a human “fingerprint” on climate change, specifically showing how human activities have influenced the seasonal cycle amplitude of sea surface temperatures (SST). This breakthrough discovery, as outlined in a study published in Nature Climate Change, highlights a noticeable human-caused signal in the SST seasonal cycle pattern, marking
The impact of climate change on precipitation patterns and extreme weather events is a topic of great concern for scientists around the world. While many researchers rely on computer models to predict future outcomes, a team of scientists from the University of Michigan took a more hands-on approach by examining coral samples from the Great
The issue of ice melting, particularly in Greenland, has become a growing concern due to the impacts of climate change. As images of polar bears on melting ice blocks flood our screens, it is evident that the consequences extend far beyond just the loss of ice. Recent research has shed light on the impact of
