• Tsunami study challenges long-held formation theory

    A new NASA study is challenging a long-held theory that tsunamis form and acquire their energy mostly from vertical movement of the seafloor. The study shows that horizontal seafloor movement also creates energy for tsunamis and further validates a GPS-based…

  • New model could help predict major earthquakes

    A Nagoya University-led team reveals the mechanisms behind different earthquakes at a plate boundary on the west coast of South America, shedding light on historical seismic events and potentially aiding prediction of the future risk from these natural disasters….

  • New insights into how eruptions occur on the Sun

    Scientists have gained new insights into how eruptions occur on the Sun and, through 3-D computer simulation, identified a universal process that explains eruptions of every size, from tapered jets to massive explosions of solar material and energy. In a new study…

  • How Little Ice Age displaced the tropical rain belt

    In the most comprehensive reconstruction of rainfall patterns within the Intertropical Convergence Zone for the past 2000 years, a team of researchers led by ETH Zurich describe how even small changes in global temperature can trigger a migration of the tropical…

  • New data show heliosphere is nearly round and symmetrical

    New data covering an entire 11-year solar activity cycle suggest that Sun and planets in our solar system are surrounded by a giant, spherical system of magnetic field from the Sun, calling into question the current view of the solar magnetic fields trailing behind…

  • Slims River disappears in 4 days as glacier retreats

    A retreat of the massive Kaskawulsh Glacier in northern Canada has caused the Slims River to change its course and join the Kaskawulsh River on its way toward to the Gulf of Alaska. It is the first known case of what is known as 'river piracy' in modern…

  • Telescope image shows star formation can be a violent and explosive process

    Stellar explosions are most often associated with supernovae, the spectacular deaths of stars. But new ALMA observations provide insights into explosions at the other end of the stellar life cycle, star birth. Astronomers captured these dramatic images as they…

  • California droughts and floods linked to distinctive atmospheric waves

    In a recent study, scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) found that the persistent high-pressure ridge off the west coast of North America that blocked storms from coming onshore during the winters of 2013-14 and 2014-15 was associated…

  • Discovery offers a way to predict solar flares

    A new study led by a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) has found that the same kind of large-scale planetary waves that meander through Earth's atmosphere driving our weather may also exist on our star and drive space weather. The…

  • Kaikoura earthquake, the most complex in modern history

    In November 2016, a massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit New Zealand, causing significant damage and between 80 000 – 100 000 landslides. Now, an international team of scientists says the quake was so complex and unusual that it is likely to change how scientists…