Earth

Earth

Volcanic Hot Spots

Many geophysical studies, including analyses of deep-traveling seismic waves and computer simulations of flowing molten rock deep beneath Earth's crust, are providing evidence that mantle plumes actually exist.

Earth

Bacteria Ride the Tide: Moon’s phases predict water quality at beaches

At many ocean beaches, full and new moons coincide with the greatest concentrations of bacteria in the water.

Earth

Antarctica’s gaining ice in some spots

Large portions of Antarctica are storing more snowfall than they once did.

Earth

Wetland Blanket: Volcanic sulfates may curb methane emission

Field studies hint that the deposition on wetlands of sulfate compounds from the atmosphere could temporarily stifle those regions' natural emissions of methane.

Earth

Farmers without Fungus: How to store peanuts to reduce toxins

African peanut farmers can more than halve their exposure to a class of harmful fungal toxins called aflatoxins by adopting several simple measures after harvest.

Earth

Icy Heat: Satellites look at heat flow through Antarctica’s crust

Using satellite observations of Earth's magnetic field, scientists can estimate the amount of heat flowing upward through Earth's surface under kilometers-thick ice.

Earth

Seismic noise can yield maps of Earth’s crust

The small, random, and nearly constant seismic waves that travel in all directions through Earth's crust can be used to make ultrasoundlike images of geologic features within the crust.

Earth

. . . and churn up big waves, too

As Hurricane Ivan approached the U.S. Gulf Coast last September, sensors detected the largest wave ever measured by instruments.

Earth

A hurricane can dump a lot of rain . . .

Hurricanes can drop enormous amounts of precipitation in a short amount of time, a phenomenon that residents of Puerto Rico experienced in spades when Hurricane Georges struck the island in 1998.

Earth

Sustainable Resource Use

This British Web site provides educational material about the sustainable use of resources, including water, waste management, textiles, and timber. It provides puzzles, experiments, worksheets, and lesson plans, with links to a wide range of environmental information. Go to: http://www.e4s.org.uk/

Earth

Gender Measure: Pollutant appears to alter boys’ genitals

Infant boys who were exposed in the womb to modest concentrations of certain common plasticizers and solvents developed genital changes.

Earth

Last Gasp: Toxic gas could explain great extinction

Sudden venting of hydrogen sulfide from the deep sea could have caused the largest extinction in Earth's history by poisoning land animals and destroying atmospheric ozone that protects Earth from ultraviolet light.