Research Team Uses Satellite to Track Earth's Water
January 31 — For the first time, scientists have used a space-borne instrument to track the origin and movements of water vapor throughout Earth's atmosphere, providing a new perspective on the dominant role Earth's water cycle plays in weather and climate. (University of Colorado-Boulder press release) More

Deep-Sea Fauna Under Antarctic Ice Shelf
January 24 — Researchers are surprised by some of the animals found under the former Larsen ice shelf east of the Antarctic Peninsula. (Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research press release) More

Scientists Observe Drumlin Beneath Ice Sheet
January 23 — Scientists have discovered a warehouse-sized drumlin -- a mound of sediment and rock -- actively forming and growing under the ice sheet in Antarctica. (British Antarctic Survey press release) More

The Winds of Change
January 23 — Using 14,000- to 30,000-year-old wood samples from areas in the mid-latitudes of North America, researchers have learned that the prevailing winds in this region, which now blow from the west, once blew from the east. (Dartmouth College press release) More

Scientists Analyze Corn to Map North American Carbon Dioxide
January 22 — Scientists have developed a novel way of mapping carbon dioxide levels in parts of North America by analyzing corn grown in those regions. (American Geophysical Union press release) More

Aerosol Pollution Slows Down Winds and Reduces Rainfall
January 22 — Aerosols result in less wind power available for wind-turbine electricity and also reduce precipitation, according to a new study. (Stanford University press release) More

The Dark Side to the Humble Raindrop
January 18 — High-speed images of the interaction between individual raindrops and soil particles are providing new insight into the physics of water erosion. (Vanderbilt University press release) More

Strong Evidence of Climate Change Found Deep in Arctic Mud
January 18 — Researchers are gathering the first quantitative temperature data over the last millennium from areas of the Canadian Arctic, such as Baffin Island. (University of Buffalo press release) More

Rotting Leaf Litter Study Could Improve Climate Models
January 18 — Bags of decomposing leaf litter have allowed a research team to better understand the nitrogen released into the soil during decomposition, which could significantly improve the accuracy of global climate models. (University of California-Berkeley press release) More

Environments Resilient in the Face of Hurricanes
January 12 — A series of research papers explores both the individual and cumulative effects of storms on coastal environments, animals, and plants. (Estuarine Research Federation press release) More

Northern Lights Research Enters Final Frontier
January 12 — An international team of scientists will begin gathering the most detailed information yet about the ever-changing Northern Lights. (University of Calgary press release) More

New Findings Blow a Decade of Assumptions Out of the Water
January 10 — The Atlantic Ocean does not receive the mother lode of fixed nitrogen, surprising researchers. (University of Washington press release) More

Fires Fuel Mercury Emissions, New Study Finds
January 9 — Forest fires release more mercury into the atmosphere than previously recognized, a research project suggests. (University of Michigan press release) More

Plants Point the Way to Coping with Climate Change
January 9 — Scientists have made a discovery that could help us breed new varieties of crops able to thrive in a changing climate. (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council press release) More

A Bumpy Shift from Ice to Greenhouse
January 4 — The transition from an ice age to an ice-free planet 300 million years ago was marked by extreme swings in climate and drastic effects on tropical vegetation, according to a new study. (University of California-Davis press release) More

How Fish Species Suffer as a Result of Warmer Waters
January 4 — A new study reveals that a warming-induced deficiency in oxygen uptake and supply to tissues is the key factor limiting the stock size of a fish species under heat stress. (Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research press release) More

Chemistry of Volcanic Fallout Reveals Secrets of Past Eruptions
January 4 — A team of scientists has developed a method to determine the influence of past volcanic eruptions on climate and the chemistry of the upper atmosphere. (University of California-San Diego press release) More

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