Knowing what speed a landslide will reach helps us predict how much damage they can cause. That speed depends on many factors: the steepness of the terrain, the sliding distance, Keep reading
Tag: geophysics
Tracking Meltwater Through Flex
Greenland’s ice sheet holds enough water to raise global sea levels by several meters. Each year meltwater from the sheet percolates through the ice, filling hidden pools and crevasses on Keep reading
The Underwater Effects of Volcanoes
Although volcanoes are typically located in or near the ocean, we’ve spent relatively little effort studying how eruptions affect the marine environment. A recent research voyage aimed to change that Keep reading
Tracking Coastal Sediment Loss
Shorelines rely on an influx of sediment to counter what’s lost to erosion by waves and currents. But tracking that sediment flux is challenging in coastal regions where salt, waves, Keep reading
A New Mantle Viscosity Shift
The rough picture of Earth’s interior — a crust, mantle, and core — is well-known, but the details of its inner structure are more difficult to pin down. A recent Keep reading
Glacial Tributaries
Just as rivers have tributaries that feed their flow, small glaciers can flow as tributaries into larger ones. This astronaut photo shows Siachen Glacier and four of its tributaries coming Keep reading
A Magnetic Tsunami Warning
Tsunamis are devastating natural disasters that can strike with little to no warning for coastlines. Often the first sign of major tsunami is a drop in the sea level as Keep reading
Erie Algal Bloom
Blue-green algae bloom in Lake Erie’s summer conditions. Unfortunately for those looking to spend summer on the water, the dominant organism in this bloom produces a toxin that “can cause Keep reading
Slushy Snow Affects Antarctic Ice Melt
More than a tenth of Antarctica’s ice projects out over the sea; this ice shelf preserves glacial ice that would otherwise fall into the Southern Ocean and raise global sea Keep reading
Underground Convection Thaws Permafrost Faster
In recent years, Arctic permafrost has thawed at a surprisingly fast pace. Much of that is, of course, due to the rapid warming caused by climate change. But some of Keep reading