Articles tagged with Earth Atmosphere
A study published in Nature Communications reveals that ancient ocean chemistry created a self-sustaining cycle that kept oxygen levels high after they first rose. This cycle, fueled by phosphorus recycling, allowed for biological productivity and maintained oxygen in the atmosphere.
The total volume of water in rivers worldwide has consistently been lower than during the comparable period from 1991 to 2020, with 36 percent of world's basin areas carrying less water in 2025. Groundwater levels have also decreased, with 65 percent of all monitoring stations showing lower levels in 2025.
Researchers at Lancaster University have re-examined the 178-year-old mystery of a train delay in Exeter, dating back to 1841, and found it actually occurred in 1848 due to geomagnetic disturbance from the sun. The study shows that space weather has been disrupting technology for almost as long as electrical technologies have existed.
Researchers at the University of Bath have been awarded £1.9m to develop a 'stratospheric sat-nav' to help high-altitude unmanned aircraft ride atmospheric waves and increase flight endurance. The project aims to provide energy savings similar to carrying a 20-40% bigger battery at no additional cost.
Researchers at Kyoto University use public Starlink satellite data to estimate thermospheric density around 1,200 satellites. The resulting two-dimensional snapshot provides the first tomographic analysis of its kind, demonstrating high consistency with European Space Agency observations.
Asteroid impact created a massive dust cloud that trapped heat, causing widespread wildfires and spontaneous combustion. The cloud led to population collapse and atmospheric contamination, ultimately killing most dinosaurs and other species.
The University of Bath's Centre for Climate Adaptation & Environment Research has joined the STRIVE mission, a NASA Earth System Explorer project aiming to improve weather forecasting and climate modeling. The team will focus on understanding atmospheric waves and their impact on energy transport.
Scientists have discovered a previously unknown mechanism that transfers heat into the deep ocean, even when surface water temperatures remain stable. The study reveals an abrupt 5°C warming in intermediate waters at 800 meters depth over the past 11,000 years, linked to changes in Southern Hemisphere ocean-atmosphere circulation.
Researchers at MIT identify conditions that enable 'back-propagating fronts' in simple faults, which may have been undetected in past seismic data. The findings suggest boomerang quakes could be more common than previously thought.
The University of Washington's STRIVE team will examine the atmosphere where weather forms, while the EDGE team will study the three-dimensional structure of the Earth's surface. These satellite missions aim to provide new insights into temperature, trace gases, and air pollution.
A modelling study suggests that heat stored in the Southern Ocean could be released, causing a rapid warming of the atmosphere. The ocean acts as a large heat reservoir, mitigating atmospheric warming since the Industrial Revolution.
Johannes Lelieveld's research on air quality, emissions, and climate change has demonstrated the interconnectedness of these issues. His work provides new insights into human health risks and informs policy decisions to address pressing societal challenges.
Researchers from the University of Maryland tracked lightning storms in real-time using NASA's TEMPO instrument, detecting nitrogen oxide emissions that affect climate and air quality. The study reveals how lightning can produce pollutants that travel long distances, influencing air quality far from the original storm.
Researchers have developed a novel way to reach the unexplored mesosphere using lightweight flying structures that can float using sunlight. The devices, which were built at Harvard and other institutions, levitated in low-pressure conditions and demonstrated potential for climate sensing and exploration.
A comprehensive report cataloging the most widespread and damaging drought events since 2023 reveals food, water, energy crises and human tragedies. The 'Drought Hotspots Around the World 2023-2025' report underscores the need for systematic monitoring of drought's impacts on lives, livelihoods, and ecosystems.
Researchers mapped electron density in the ionosphere and observed unique 3D wave patterns after the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake, showing earthquakes generate waves from multiple points along the entire fault line. The study provides new insights into how earthquakes affect the upper atmosphere.
The Amazon rainforest is a significant source of condensation nuclei for clouds, according to two studies. The rainforest's plant transpiration and thunderstorms produce aerosol particles that can be transported thousands of kilometers, influencing marine cloud formation.
Gravity waves generated by Hurricane Helene were recorded 55 miles above the ground using NASA's Atmospheric Waves Experiment. The study helps understand how terrestrial weather affects space weather and disrupts satellites.
A new study reveals that Earth's surface temperature has varied more greatly over the past 485 million years than previously thought. The study, co-led by the Smithsonian and University of Arizona, confirms that carbon dioxide is strongly correlated with global temperatures across geological time.
Astrophysicists calculate that two million years ago, the solar system encountered a cold, harsh interstellar cloud, which may have interfered with the sun's solar wind and affected Earth's climate. The heliosphere, a protective plasma shield, was compressed in such a way that it briefly placed Earth outside its influence.
The University of Washington's STRIVE project aims to understand the troposphere and stratosphere, where the ozone layer resides, and their interface. This will help monitor changes in the ozone layer, air quality, and climate processes.
A study from Colorado State University explores how human activity is altering the atmospheric water cycle, leading to changes in precipitation distribution and cloud formation. The research uses science fiction narratives to imagine possible futures and spark conversations around water management policies.
Researchers found that green spaces alleviate extreme heat's negative impacts on human health, while densely packed buildings increase mortality risk. Urban design strategies incorporating different types of greenery are recommended to mitigate heatwave-associated mortality.
Researchers linked chemical changes in seawater to volcanic activity and climate change, with a 7-fold decrease in lithium concentration over the past 150 million years. This shift is attributed to reduced seafloor hydrothermal activity, influenced by tectonic plate movements.
Researchers at Heidelberg University have created crystalline materials that can selectively bind polyfluorinated hydrocarbons on their surface. The porous crystals show extremely high selectivity for adsorbing fluorine-containing greenhouse gases, which have a significant impact on global warming.
Scientists at the University of Copenhagen have discovered a new class of highly reactive chemical compounds called hydrotrioxides. Formed during atmospheric decomposition of substances like isoprene and dimethyl sulfide, these compounds are stable enough to react with other atmospheric compounds.
A study published in Nature Geoscience found that consumption-related sulphate aerosols from developed and developing countries have comparable climate impacts, regardless of region. The research clarifies the significance of consumption activities on global temperature and precipitation.
Researchers found nanoparticles from human activities rapidly grow in atmosphere and influence cloud formation, affecting raindrop formation and changing rainfall regime. The study provides new insights into the impact of small aerosols on precipitation and improves climate change studies based on mathematical models.
Researchers from McGill University found that oxygen levels rose with complex eukaryotic ecosystems, indicating low oxygen was a significant limitation on evolution for billions of years. The discovery has implications for searching for biosignatures in other planets, focusing on ozone detection.
A new study analyzing the rock record rules out atmospheric oxygen before the Great Oxygenation Event, potentially rewriting our understanding of Earth's past. The research team used high-resolution techniques to inspect specimens of the rock, finding evidence that chemical data suggesting early oxygen may have been introduced later.
Researchers found that during hothouse periods, Earth may have experienced cycles of dryness followed by massive rain storms. This unexpected atmospheric state sheds light on Earth's distant past and far-flung future, potentially helping to understand climates of exoplanets.
Researchers at Stanford University have discovered the physical mechanism behind icy plumes that precede severe thunderstorms and potentially deadly tornadoes. The study reveals a hydraulic jump phenomenon triggered by fluid obstacles in the atmosphere, leading to rapid water vapor injection into the stratosphere.
Researchers have found that 42,000-year-old New Zealand kauri trees can accurately analyze the last complete reversal of the Earth's magnetic field. The study's findings suggest that the weak magnetic field had a significant impact on the atmosphere, leading to increased cosmic radiation and changes in ozone levels.
Researchers analyzed zircon grains in Antarctic sandstones to determine their ages and chemical compositions, revealing two primary periods of increased average crustal thickness associated with volcanic chains. These findings suggest a causal link between plate tectonics and major transitions in Earth's atmosphere and oceans.
Researchers will launch two three-year sounding rockets to investigate energy transfer and dissipation during colorful active auroras. The VortEx project aims to measure turbulent processes in the mesosphere, enhancing weather prediction accuracy.
Astronomers use thermal wavelengths to spot near-Earth objects, providing critical details for defensive strategies. This technique enables the calculation of energy required to nudge an object away from Earth's trajectory, shedding light on the solar system's formation.
Researchers found low oxygen levels in early Earth rocks, indicating significant atmospheric variations during early life development. Oxygen concentrations were around 0.1% of present levels, affecting the evolution of complex organisms.
Researchers at UCR's Alternative Earths Astrobiology Center are developing a framework for dynamic biosignatures based on seasonal changes. They found that ozone could be a more easily measurable marker for seasonal variability in oxygen, which is produced by life. Observing atmospheric seasonality in exoplanets may help detect life.
A recent study reveals that almost one billion viruses and more than twenty million bacteria are deposited daily in high-mountain areas via atmospheric rain washout and gravity sedimentation. The research finds that viruses tend to adhere to smaller organic particles, while bacteria stick to mineral particles from the Sahara Desert.
Scientists discovered a rare form of nitrogen gas in Earth's atmosphere, which is more abundant than expected. The discovery provides clues about the composition of life-supporting planets and their atmospheres.
Researchers have successfully tested the sensitivity of balloon-borne infrasound detectors, detecting explosions up to 250 miles away. The high-altitude balloons were found to be effective at eliminating wind noise and amplifying infrasound signals.
Researchers have found evidence of an interaction between nitrogen and oxygen in ancient rocks from South Africa, shedding light on the evolution of life alongside changes in the Earth's surface. The discovery fills a 400-million-year gap in geochemical records and provides new insights into the 'Great Oxidation Event.'
Researchers studied asteroid Chelyabinsk to determine properties necessary for deflection missions. The study found that an asteroid's composition, internal structure, density, and physical properties are crucial in determining the success of a kinetic projectile launch.
Early land plants like moss helped create modern levels of atmospheric oxygen, according to researchers. The study suggests that these simple plants' emergence and evolution permanently increased the flux of organic carbon into sedimentary rocks, driving up oxygen levels in a second oxygenation event.
Researchers at Oregon State University discovered that ocean bacteria are programmed to produce two sulfur gases, dimethylsulfide and methanethiol, which play important roles in the Earth's atmosphere. These gases, released by SAR11 plankton, have been linked to cloud formation and temperature regulation.
Recent measurements from the LOFAR radio telescope have provided new insights into the properties of cosmic rays, including a surprisingly high number of light particles at high energies. The KIT simulation code CoREAS has enabled precise analysis and interpretation of these signals.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh successfully recreated an elusive form of hydrogen, which exists only under extremely high pressures. The study found that at pressures equivalent to 3.25 million times that of Earth's atmosphere, hydrogen entered a new solid phase and showed unusual properties.
Scientists found evidence of O2 fluctuations in Western Australian rocks, suggesting a temporary increase in atmospheric oxygen levels around 2.5 billion years ago. The data supports the 'Great Oxidation Event' theory, where multiple 'whiffs' of O2 accumulated until a tipping point was crossed.
Researchers developed a new method to eliminate artificial satellites in Highly Elliptical Orbits (HEO) by leveraging gravitational effects. The methodology, tested with the European Space Agency INTEGRAL mission, reduces both cost and risk.
The discovery of a stratosphere on WASP-33b offers insights into the planet's composition and formation. The presence of titanium oxide in the atmosphere indicates temperature inversion, similar to Earth's ozone layer.
A new study finds that climate models are inconsistent in explaining decade-to-decade temperature variability, which may lead to misinterpretation of data. The inconsistency may undermine the models' reliability for projecting future warming and suggests a bumpier road to a warmer world.
Researchers found that tens of thousands of small impacts could efficiently jettison Earth's entire primordial atmosphere, while giant impacts would be less effective. The team's calculations suggest that the early Earth was likely devoid of its original atmosphere, with Venus and Mars also experiencing significant atmospheric loss.
Researchers from the University of Zurich successfully tested DNA's ability to survive extreme conditions, including space travel and re-entry. The study found that DNA molecules were still able to transfer genetic information to bacterial cells after being launched into space and back.
The UCR-led 'Alternative Earths' team will analyze ancient rocks to determine how oxygen developed on Earth billions of years ago. By studying the chemical fingerprints left by early life forms, they aim to understand what evidence would confirm that a planet is habitable and teeming with life.
Scientists at UC San Diego and Hebrew University found that nitrogen fingerprints in biomolecules can be explained by chemistry within the solar system. By generating ammonia with skewed ratios of nitrogen-15, they recreated the conditions that produce life's fundamental molecules.
The IceCube experiment has observed high-energy neutrinos from outside our solar system, hinting at the existence of cosmic accelerators. These astrophysical neutrinos may originate from supernovas, black holes, or pulsars.
A significant X-class solar flare occurred on Nov. 19, 2013, peaking at 5:26 a.m. EST, causing disturbances in the atmosphere where GPS and communications signals travel. The flare was classified as an X1.0 class, indicating its intensity.
A significant solar flare peaked at 12:14 a.m. EST on Nov. 10, 2013, emitting harmful radiation that disturbed the atmosphere and impacted GPS signals. This X1.1 class flare is part of an active period in the sun's 11-year activity cycle, which has seen several flares since October 23, 2013.
The sun recently emitted a powerful X1.1 flare, disturbing the layer where GPS and communications signals travel. Increased flares are common during the sun's peak activity cycle, which is currently ramping up toward solar maximum conditions.
A significant solar flare peaked at X3.3 on Nov. 5, 2013, affecting GPS and communications signals. The event is part of the sun's 11-year activity cycle ramping up towards solar maximum conditions.