Earth

Tiny particles, which are harmful anthropogenic pollutants, come from factory stacks, car exhaust pipes, and cruise liner engines. These particles settle in the small vessels of our lungs when we breathe in air and make us sick. Air pollution has been known for many years to be harmful to human health. For instance, American researchers

A new study conducted by Neil J. Lant and his team at Procter & Gamble’s Newcastle Innovation Center suggests that condenser dryers, while reducing airborne microfibers compared to vented dryers, are significant contributors to waterborne microfiber pollution. The study found that both dryer types produce microfiber pollution, including water pollution from rinsing lint traps in

A new assessment published in the journal Science reveals that more than half of the world’s largest lakes are losing water due to the warming climate and unsustainable human consumption. The lead author of the study, Fangfang Yao, a climate fellow at the University of Virginia, emphasizes that the news is not entirely bleak. With

Recent research has discovered that approximately 700,000 years ago, a “warm ice age” had a permanent effect on the climate cycles on Earth. During this warm and moist period, the polar glaciers expanded. A European research team, including Earth scientists from Heidelberg University, used geological data in combination with computer simulations to identify this unexpected

Around 13,000 years ago, the Younger Dryas, a climate crisis, caused a significant drop in temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere, leading to severe aridity in the Mediterranean basin, which had a significant impact on terrestrial and marine ecosystems. However, what is less well-known is the impact of this climate change on water circulation in the

New research from the University of Canterbury School of Mathematics and Statistics in New Zealand has found that seismic signals can be used to track pyroclastic flows, which are the most deadly volcanic hazard in the world. These flows result from volcanic eruptions and can travel at speeds of up to 500 kmh (310 mph).

The Brazilian rainforest is known for its clean air, but this is only true during the wet season when particulate matter is at a minimum. During the dry season, which is when deforestation fires occur, air quality is significantly reduced due to soot and other emissions. The concentration of soot particles in the atmosphere above

As the planet continues to grow warmer, a team of atmospheric scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology and the University of California have found that the number of atmospheric rivers (ARs) associated with flooding in India has been rising. In their study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, the group describes how

A recent study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison has found that atmospheric rivers are a crucial element in the complex conditions that are leading to the acceleration of glacial melting in northern Greenland. Atmospheric rivers are long, concentrated flows of moisture in the sky that can stretch thousands of kilometers. They are an essential part

With the recent increase in extreme weather events both in New Zealand and globally, a new study published in Nature Geoscience aims to improve the prediction of heavy rainfall and provide earlier warnings to the public. Cameron McErlich, a Ph.D. student at the University of Canterbury, used models and satellite observations to examine daily rainfall.

Scientists from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, leading an international team, have discovered aerosols from the Hunga Tonga eruption in the stratospheric westerlies of the Northern Hemisphere for the first time. The discovery, published in Science Bulletin, will help scientists to simulate the physical and chemical processes in

Researchers from Oregon State University have led a study that reveals the impact of dust on the world’s oceans. Phytoplankton, which are found in the upper part of the ocean and are the foundation of the marine food web, rely on dust from land-based sources for key nutrients. However, the extent that this dust, from

The continents on Earth play an essential role in making the planet habitable for life as we know it. However, very little is known about how these huge pieces of the planet’s crust emerged or what gives them their unique properties. A new study published in Science by Elizabeth Cottrell, a research geologist at the

Three environmental scientists and city planners from the University of California, Berkeley, the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and the University of Miami conducted a study on the impact of electric-powered vehicles (EVs) on air quality. The researchers found that the introduction of EVs had a varying impact on air quality in different neighborhoods,

A new study by researchers at UC Berkeley, UCLA, and Climate Central has found that as sea levels rise, hundreds of toxic sites along the California coast are at risk of flooding, with the most significant potential impact on the state’s most marginalized communities. The Risks The study identified 736 facilities at risk of coastal