Earth

Earth

Water waves can have literally seismic impacts

Certain types of seismic waves are generated by waves on large lakes. These ground waves could be used to map fault zones or to monitor ice cover in polar lakes.

Earth

Explainer: Seismic waves come in different ‘flavors’

Earthquakes generate several different types of seismic waves, some more damaging than others

Earth

Hot on the trail of Antarctic meteorites

For intrepid scientists, spotting meteorites against Antarctica’s dazzling whiteness is easy. Then what?

Climate

Wacky winter dumps snow on every single U.S. state

Here’s a look at the meteorology behind the unusual winter weather that hit the United States in late 2017 and early 2018.

Earth

Giant volcanoes lurk beneath Antarctic ice

One of the largest volcanic areas on Earth was recently discovered hiding beneath West Antarctic’s ice sheet. What does it spell for the future of that ice?

Ecosystems

Here’s why scientists have been fertilizing the Arctic

For more than 30 years, scientists have been fertilizing small parcels of Arctic tundra. Here’s what happens when you push an ecosystem to the brink.

Plants

Explainer: The fertilizing power of N and P

Two elements — nitrogen and phosphorus — help plants grow. When the soil doesn’t have them, farmers might add them in the form of fertilizer.

Climate

Revisit 2017’s most important stories

The year was full of major scientific events and discoveries, from the finding of a new continent to a solar eclipse witnessed by millions.

Ecosystems

Scientists Say: Bog

Bogs are a type of wetland in which partially decayed plants sink down and form peat.

Environment

Tropics may now emit more carbon dioxide than they absorb

Analyses of satellite images suggest that degraded forests now release more carbon than they store.

Climate

Thawing mosses tell a climate change tale

Plants long entombed beneath Canadian ice are now emerging. They’re telling a story of warming unprecedented in the history of human civilization.

Earth

Scientists Say: Ionosphere

The ionosphere is a region of the Earth’s upper atmosphere. The molecules there absorb ultraviolet light and reflect radio waves.