The study of Earth’s systems, including its physical structure, natural processes, and interactions between the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. Earth sciences investigate phenomena such as weather, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions to understand our planet’s past, present, and future.
A recent study found that the Methana volcano in Greece remained inactive for over 100 000 years while magma continued accumulating beneath the surface, a process the authors describe as “silent” magma reservoir growth. This challenges the traditional idea of volcanic dormancy, in which volcanoes that haven’t erupted in the last 10 000 years are classified as dormant.
A first-of-its-kind continent-scale conductivity map made using over 1 700 magnetotelluric stations deployed across the United States has revealed buried tectonic fragments beneath eastern North America, allowing researchers to reconstruct the continent’s deep electrical structure while exposing conductive regions linked to ancient continental collisions, mineral systems, and geomagnetic storm hazard propagation.
A landslide-generated tsunami in Tracy Arm, Alaska, reached 481 m (1 578 feet) on August 10, 2025, ranking as the second-highest tsunami runup ever recorded, according to a study published in Science on May 6, 2026. More than 64 million m³ (2.3 billion ft³) of rock collapsed near South Sawyer Glacier.
Flood risk along the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic coasts affects a disproportionate share of the population, with 16.7% living in very high-risk zones that cover just 1.1% of land, according to a new study. New York City and New Orleans rank among the most exposed urban areas, with up to 4.75 million residents at risk in New York and nearly 99% of New Orleans’ population located in flood-prone zones. High-risk areas account for another 3.5% of land but include 16.21% of residents.
Arctic winter sea ice remained at record-low levels in March 2026, with NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) reporting a statistical tie with the 2025 minimum winter maximum and Japan’s NIPR/JAXA dataset reporting a new record low. Despite differences in measurement methods, both datasets place the 2026 maximum among the lowest observed since satellite monitoring began in 1979.
Scientists aboard the RV Polarstern discovered and surveyed a previously unmapped island in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica, during a February 2026 expedition, confirming a rocky landmass about 130 m (426 ft) long that had previously appeared only as an undefined danger zone on nautical charts.
El Niño conditions are likely to develop in the equatorial Pacific by mid-2026, with climate models showing strong agreement on onset timing, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported on April 24, 2026. The transition window spans May–July, following neutral conditions at the start of the year, and forecasts do not exclude the development of a strong event.
An ancient lake that filled, pooled, and ultimately spilled over may hold the answer to one of geology’s most debated questions: how did the Colorado River carve the Grand Canyon? New evidence published April 16, 2026, in Science supports spillover flooding from Lake Bidahochi as a key mechanism in the river’s integration and the canyon’s formation, with mineral grain analysis placing Colorado River sediment in the Bidahochi Basin of northern Arizona by approximately 6.6 million years ago.
A pair of studies published in April 2026 in Science Advances report a consistent decline in observed western-boundary overturning transport across the North Atlantic and suggest that future weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) could be stronger than standard climate model estimates.
Scientists have reported evidence of a vast deep magma reservoir beneath southern Tuscany after analyzing seismic data from more than 60 stations across the region. The study links the hidden melt system to the intense heat flow beneath Larderello geothermal system, one of Europe’s best-known high-enthalpy geothermal fields.
