The Saudi Arabian oasis of Jubbah sits in the bed of an ancient lake. It’s protected from the westerly winds that sculpt the surrounding dunes by the wind shadow of Keep reading
Tag: geophysics
Lava at Night
Today’s cameras and drones capture volcanic eruptions in ways that were unthinkable in years past. This incredible footage shows the recent eruption in Iceland as it glows in the night. Keep reading
Meltwater Tracking Via Seal
Monitoring meltwater from Antarctic glaciers is critical for understanding our changing climate, but such remote and inaccessible regions are tough to collect data in. So researchers are turning to local Keep reading
Taylor Columns
When rotating, fluids often act very differently than we expect. For example, an obstacle in a rotating flow will deflect flow around it at all heights. This is known as Keep reading
Bubbles Affect Lava Flow
During the 2018 eruption at Kilauea, scientists noticed that the lava flowed very differently depending on how bubbly it was. In this experiment, researchers used corn syrup as a lava Keep reading
Rocking From The Waves
Not all seismic activity stems from earthquakes. In fact, much of Earth’s measured seismic waves come from interactions of the ocean and atmosphere with solid ground. Some of the strongest Keep reading
Following the Flow
In early December 2020, the world’s largest iceberg — roughly 135 km long by 44 km wide — was heading straight for South Georgia Island. Luckily for the island, iceberg Keep reading
Uncovering Erosion Patterns
Gypsum and limestone cliffs sometimes form patterns of long, parallel grooves known as rillenkarren. Recent research shows that these patterns form when a thin layer of water flows over a Keep reading
The Undisturbed Waters of Lake Kivu
Deep in Africa lies one of the world’s strangest lakes. Lake Kivu, over 450 meters in depth, is so stratified that its layers never mix. The upper portion of Lake Keep reading
A Colorful Portrait of Flow
This gorgeous, natural-color image shows Lake Balkhash in southeastern Kazakhstan. In early March, the ice on the lake was beginning to break up, revealing glimpses of swirling sediment below the Keep reading