Earth Sciences

Deforestation is having a more devastating effect on the Amazon rainforest than earlier data suggested. While cutting down large swaths of trees destroys vital habitats, it also harms the region’s ability to generate its own […]

The cycling of water within Earth’s interior regulates plate tectonics, volcanism, ocean volume, and climate stability, making it central to the planet’s long-term evolution and habitability and a key scientific question. While subducting slabs are […]

Large-scale melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet is irreversible and happening at a rapid rate, and now a new international study is the first to understand why. A University of Waterloo scientist and a team […]

A new study using Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) has revealed land-use change—particularly deforestation and unplanned agricultural expansion—is dramatically intensifying heat waves across Africa, with findings that carry direct implications for Australia’s warm climate. Although the […]

Mangrove forests play an important role in the global carbon cycle, particularly within the marine carbon system. Growing along tropical and subtropical coastlines, these salt-tolerant trees are among nature’s most efficient “blue carbon” sinks, capturing […]

Researchers at the University of Kansas have shown the National Severe Storms Laboratory’s Warn-on-Forecast System (WoFS) has potential to help weather forecasters issue warnings to emergency managers and the general public well before tornado formation. […]

In its natural state, peatland is one of the largest carbon stores in nature. This is because the soil is so waterlogged and low in oxygen that dead plant material breaks down very slowly. The […]

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) crowdsourcing platform Did You Feel It? (DYFI) rapidly transforms people’s earthquake shaking intensity experiences into detailed maps of damage extent. While the tool’s reach is global, language and technology barriers […]

Mass extinctions are extremely catastrophic events on Earth. Throughout Earth’s evolutionary history, numerous mass extinctions have occurred, with five major mass extinctions being particularly representative. These extinctions have reshaped the course of life’s evolution on […]

Narrow bands of ocean covering just over one-third of the world’s seas are responsible for absorbing nearly three-quarters of the carbon dioxide that oceans pull from the atmosphere, new research shows. The study, published in […]