Articles tagged with Planet Earth
Research papers in Geophysical Research Letters highlight advancements in measuring ocean conveyor belt circulation, tracing large-scale pollution from space, analyzing the energy of strong thunderstorms, and improving space weather predictions using recent satellite data.
Astronomers study remnant of 1,000-year-old supernova to solve long-standing puzzle of cosmic ray origin. They create gamma-ray image using Cherenkov radiation, providing first unequivocal proof that supernovae produce galactic cosmic rays.
The American Geosciences Institute announced winners of the Earth Science Week contest, showcasing artistic talents in visual arts, essay writing, and photography. The contests aimed to increase public awareness of geology and the earth sciences.
A new study provides a detailed picture of magma and gas movement leading up to the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption, showing that magma stalled at a depth of three to four kilometers beneath the surface. The research sheds light on volcano behavior and offers fresh insights into the cataclysmic event.
Astronomers have successfully taken high-quality images using a ground-based telescope at Dome C, Antarctica, which rivals the capabilities of the Hubble Space Telescope. The site offers excellent seeing conditions and low atmospheric interference, making it an attractive alternative to space-based astronomy.
Astronomers launch RoboNet, a global network of robotic telescopes using intelligent software to rapidly observe sudden changes in astronomical objects. The project aims to discover Earth-like planets and study Gamma Ray Bursts, exploiting the large size of the telescopes and sensitive instrumentation.
Researchers found that methane formed through reducing carbon in calcite at temperatures and pressures of about 1000 degrees F and less than 70,000 times atmospheric pressure. The study's implications are significant for the ecology and economy of our planet if abiogenic hydrocarbons are produced in the deep Earth.
An international team of scientists has successfully tested an integrated Mars life-detection strategy, finding evidence of even a single-cell organism. The experiment used specially adapted instruments to identify organic and mineralogical markers in Arctic hot springs, which resemble Martian environments.
Researchers found that meteorites, especially iron meteorites, can provide more phosphorus than naturally occurs on Earth. Phosphorus is essential for biomolecules and energy production in living organisms. The discovery suggests that meteorites may have played a critical role in the evolution of life on Earth.
The Cluster mission has found a new way for charged particles from the solar wind to enter Earth's magnetosphere, using giant vortices called non-linear Kelvin-Helmholtz waves. These vortices can carry particles inside the magnetosphere, potentially explaining the presence of hot plasma stored in the tail of Earth's magnetic field.
Comet composition can be studied for the first time using a new technique, providing insights into the early solar system. Carbon disulfide has been detected in comet 122P/De Vico, with implications for understanding the origins of life.
Materials researchers created a metamaterial with a negative refractive index for microwaves, allowing it to transmit light differently than natural materials. This discovery has implications for space navigation and the location of stars, making it challenging to determine their origins.
Astronomers at ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) recorded the spectrum of a bright meteor in 2002, providing insights into meteor emissions and atmospheric chemistry. The spectrum revealed telltale emissions of oxygen and nitrogen atoms and molecules, as well as constraints on the role of atmospheric chemistry when life started on Earth.
Scientists measured a 0.1% reduction in sunlight reaching Earth during a June 8 Venus transit using NASA's SORCE satellite data. This event is comparable to the estimated 50-year decrease in sunlight that occurred during the Little Ice Age in the 17th century.
Aura, NASA's latest Earth-observing satellite, was launched to study the health of the Earth's atmosphere, focusing on ozone layer recovery and climate change. The satellite will survey the atmosphere from the troposphere to the stratosphere, using four instruments to collect data on air quality and its impact on the planet.
Arizona State University's contribution to the Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment allows spacecraft to detect changes in ice on Earth, such as freeze-thaw cycles and polar sea ice formation. This enables the spacecraft to respond quickly to important science events and send processed data back to Earth.
Scientists explore new explanations for auroral lights, elephant communication, and the impact of volcanic eruptions on global climate change. Researchers analyze electron interactions with nitric oxide molecules and propose a new method for monitoring small-scale flow variations in the Earth-space boundary.
The Cassini orbiter is equipped with 12 scientific instruments to study Saturn's rings and moons. The UVIS instrument will measure UV light reflected by or emitted from Saturn's atmosphere, its rings, and moon atmospheres.
A team of astronomers using a novel camera will hunt for planets orbiting other stars, aiming to directly image faint gas-giants. The SDI camera has already made stunning images of Saturn's moon Titan and discovered an object near Jupiter in solar systems beyond our own.
Researchers have found stable alternating bands of current on Earth that resemble those on Jupiter, both resulting from underlying turbulent flows. This similarity may hold clues to understanding planetary and oceanic circulations, with implications for climate research and future space observational studies.
Scientists discover a comet with broad mesas, craters, pinnacles, and canyons on its surface, contrary to expectations of a dark dust-covered comet. The surface's unique features suggest that most impacts were absorbed or vented into space, making it possible to clearly see the crater formations.
The University of Colorado will build two instruments for a satellite launched in 2006 to study noctilucent clouds. The Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere mission aims to understand changes in cloud brightness and frequency, which may be linked to increasing carbon dioxide levels.
Researchers retrieved clues to ancient ocean chemistry and global greenhouse gas accumulation from 130-million-year-old sediments. The study provides a high-resolution record of seawater sulfate changes, shedding light on the interactions between the Earth's atmosphere, land, and ocean systems during the Cretaceous period.
The study reveals changes in Earth's reflectance over the past two decades, with a sharp decline in albedo from 1995-2001 and subsequent brightening. These variations are comparable to those in infrared radiation observed in the tropics, influencing the Earth's radiation budget.
Researchers from NJIT and Caltech combined NASA cloud data with earthshine records to analyze Earth's reflectance and global cloud cover. The study suggests that Earth's average albedo varies considerably from year to year and decade to decade.
A study found that planetary waves reflect instead of absorb in the subtropics, affecting weather patterns. Phytoplankton growth in Arctic waters is influenced by sea ice coverage, with polynyas impacting timing and intensity. Carbon dioxide release from underground waterways may predict tectonic activity in central Italy.
A new theory suggests that the Sun and Solar System formed in a turbulent environment, with massive stars influencing the development of planets. This vision could have profound implications for understanding planetary formation and life's origins.
Researcher Blewitt and colleagues prove theory using GPS observations that the Earth wobbles due to mass redistribution, consistent with changes in its shape. The North Pole adjusts to compensate for the wobble.
Researchers create tholins in lab experiments to understand Titan's chemistry and potential for life. They analyze spectroscopic properties and react with molten water to form oxygenated compounds.
Researchers confirm Bedout impact crater as potential 'smoking gun' of a massive meteor collision, linked to the Permian-Triassic extinction and the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary mass extinctions. The team found evidence of shock-melted rock formations, feldspar glass, and similar correlative lava flows in India and Siberia.
Researchers discovered that migratory birds can detect fluctuations in magnetic fields using a molecular substrate for chemical reactions. The study found that the birds' sensitivity to artificial magnetic fields ruled out the use of simple magnetic materials in their beaks or brains.
The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is now accepting nominations for the 2005 Journalism Awards. The awards recognize work that enhances public understanding of the sciences, including the study of the Earth and its environments. Nominations are due by November 15, 2004, and winners will be announced on May 19, 2005.
The 'Immersive Earth' project brings together six museums and two universities to create digital planetarium shows nationwide. A new portable system uses an inflatable dome and single-projector display to fully immerse viewers in Earth and space science content.
Jonathan I. Lunine, a renowned planetary scientist, will testify before the President's Commission on Implementation of U.S. Space Exploration Policy about detecting other Earths around nearby stars. He suggests developing medium-sized optical and infrared space telescopes, the Terrestrial Planet Finder, which could discover habitable ...
Blank's research challenges initial findings on cyanobacteria age, pinning emergence to 2.3 billion years ago using genetic analysis. This breakthrough also sheds light on eukaryote evolution and the development of mitochondria.
Scientists discovered that rapid Arctic warming is releasing ancient carbon into the ocean. Researchers also found a correlation between plasmasphere rotation and Earth's rotation lag, which affects models simulating Earth's plasmaspheric dynamics. Additionally, new models of North Atlantic Ocean circulation can now be run on personal ...
Astronomers have successfully detected their first two near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) using a refurbished telescope at the Australian National University's Siding Spring Observatory. The discoveries, made on March 29, include an 100-meter and 300-meter asteroid that pose no direct threat to Earth.
Astronomers successfully measured the size of Sagittarius A*, the mysterious object at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, using the National Science Foundation's Very Long Baseline Array radio telescope. The black hole has a mass nearly four million times that of the Sun and would fit easily inside Earth's orbit.
Lunar experts from the University of Arizona will testify about the benefits and challenges of an extended human presence for scientific exploration and mining. The hearing will focus on using water as a resource for propulsion, life support, and fueling return trips to Earth.
Scientists studying lava lakes on Io believe they may be similar to mid-ocean ridges on Earth, generating new crust through volcanic activity. This similarity suggests that Io provides insight into Earth's primitive history.
The EarthDial Project features a global network of sundials, including ones in the US, Spain, Malaysia, Honduras, and Antarctica. The web site provides a palpable sense of time on the globe, with shadow angles changing like clock hands in different time zones.
Researchers analyze Martian flood channels, estimate Mercury's crust depth and simulate earthquake dynamics. New data also reveals details on sprites and interstellar hydrogen shadows.
Researchers have discovered that carbon isotopic compositions in IDPs are different from those on Earth and in other parts of the Solar System, indicating it was formed in molecular clouds before the formation of the Solar System. The findings help understand the Solar System's formation and the origin of organic matter on Earth.
Researchers suggest meteorites may have delivered essential elements and asymmetry that led to the development of specific protein and sugar structures on Earth. This theory could provide a plausible explanation for how non-life became ordered and specific chemistry.
Scientists plan to deploy the Huygens probe to study Titan's lakes, seas, and climate. The moon's thick atmosphere and liquid hydrocarbons will provide a unique environment to understand oceanographic processes and predict climate changes.
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have found that heavy metal snow on Venus is actually made of lead sulfide, contradicting previous hypotheses. This discovery could allow for the dating of Venus using lead isotopes, providing a new frontier for space exploration.
Researchers from Cardiff University suggest that a large comet impact could throw material containing micro-organisms out of the planet's atmosphere, infecting hundreds of millions of nascent planetary systems. This viable bacterial outflow would survive heat and radiation, ultimately spreading Earth-life across the galaxy.
Researchers analyzed over 250 dinosaur genera, finding the fossil record to be moderately complete, but highly congruent with existing family tree relationships. This study provides valuable insights for paleontologists studying dinosaur evolution.
Astronomers have discovered a possible link between a comet impact in the 6th century and the 'Dark Ages.' The comet's debris caused a prolonged cold period, similar to a nuclear winter, resulting in crop failures and widespread starvation. A small comet size was needed to cause such dramatic effects.
Researchers found that polar mesospheric clouds at the South Pole are on average 2 miles higher than those in the North, attributed to increased solar radiation. The clouds have brightened by 15% over the last twenty years, indicating a cooling of the mesosphere and potentially linked to long-term global climate change.
A joint research effort discovered Mars-like soils in Chile's Atacama Desert, which are depleted in organic materials and would have been missed by NASA's Viking missions. The team found that the conditions in this environment represent a limit for microbial life on Earth.
Researchers found that a sugar called ribose can be formed from interstellar dust clouds using borate minerals like colemanite. This discovery sheds light on the 3-billion-year-old mystery of how life on Earth began and could have implications for disease diagnostics and therapy.
University of Arizona researchers used Love's equation to calculate tidal deformation in various spheres, discovering that under specific conditions, the shape of a planet could change dramatically. This may have regulated the size of planets, preventing their formation.
A UW astronomer's spacecraft, Stardust, will capture tiny comet grains for clues on the origin of life and carbon in our planet. The encounter with Wild 2 comet is expected to provide valuable insights into the early solar system.
New evidence from south China suggests a massive methane release occurred about 600 million years ago, thawing the Earth's climate. Methane hydrates are believed to be the source of this release, which would have had a profound impact on global climate if it were to happen again.
Scientists from the Open University and University of Kent will analyze samples from Comet Wild 2, which was brought back by NASA's STARDUST mission. The cometary particles provide a window into the past, helping to answer fundamental questions about the solar system's formation.
Researchers at Columbia Climate School presented various studies, including predicting earthquakes to urban heat island effects. One study found that human activities may have significantly raised seismicity levels in stable continental regions during the last half-century. Another study examined the impact of climate change on air pol...
The ICESat mission is measuring the surface elevations of large ice sheets covering Antarctica and Greenland, determining how they are changing. The satellite's data are helping scientists understand how life on Earth is affected by changing climate, and providing critical observations of atmospheric particles.
A new study published in Icarus reveals that planet formation simulations indicate a high probability of finding Earthlike planets near other stars. The research suggests that the presence and orbits of giant planets like Jupiter can greatly impact the amount of water on terrestrial planets.
Researchers have captured images of coronal mass ejections, revealing high-altitude auroras extending over 500 miles above Earth's surface. The Solar Mass Ejection Imager has improved predictions of geomagnetic storms by mapping electron cloud trajectories.