Artist’s illustration of the exoplanet WASP-107 b based on transit observations from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope as well as other space- and ground-based telescopes, led by Matthew Murphy of the University of Arizona and a team of researchers around the world. Credit: Rachel Amaro, University of Arizona An international group of researchers including University…
Author: astronomy.daily
Atmospheric blocking slows ocean-driven melting of Greenland's largest glacier tongue
Visual representation for 79 North Glacier. Credit: Alfred Wegener Institute / Rebecca McPherson Northeast Greenland is home to the 79° N Glacier—the country’s largest floating glacier tongue, but also one seriously threatened by global warming. Warm water from the Atlantic is melting it from below. However, experts from the Alfred Wegener Institute have now determined…
Understanding Antarctica's contribution to sea level rise
Antarctic bedrock topography with drainage basins and estimated global mean sea level potential from each basin, in metres. Areas thought particularly vulnerable are in blue. Credit: Australian Antarctic Data Centre (2024). DOI: 10.26179/q3fx-8p19 Over the next decades to centuries, will melting of the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS)—Earth’s largest ice mass—cause global sea level to rise…
Keeping mold out of future space stations
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of ISS dust from the original dust (A) and incubations at 50% ERH (B) show fibrous dust materials, but no fungal growth. Fungal growth including spores, elongated hyphae, and different fungal propagules was observed in ISS dust incubated at 85% ERH (C) and 100% ERH (D) for 2 weeks at 25℃….
Advanced data shed light on gravitational basins of attraction that shape the movement of galaxies
Velocity streamlines within the reconstructed volume, with colored envelopes associated with the prominent nearby basins of attraction. The map and streamlines have been cropped to the region covered by Cosmicflows-4 data. The streamlines within a given basin converge onto the region of high concentration of galaxies. Credit: Daniel Pomarède A new study has mapped out…
Extinct volcanoes a 'rich' source of rare earth elements, research suggests
Dr. Michael Anenburg from ANU. Credit: Jamie Kidston/ANU. A mysterious type of iron-rich magma entombed within extinct volcanoes is likely abundant with rare earth elements and could offer a new way to source these in-demand metals, according to new research from The Australian National University (ANU) and the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences….
Atmospheric methane increase during pandemic due primarily to wetland flooding, satellite data analysis finds
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A new analysis of satellite data finds that the record surge in atmospheric methane emissions from 2020 to 2022 was driven by increased inundation and water storage in wetlands, combined with a slight decrease in atmospheric hydroxide (OH). The results have implications for efforts to decrease atmospheric methane and mitigate its…
Ice age clues and advanced climate modeling shed light on how El Niño weather patterns might change
An 8x-zoomed microscopic image of washed, tropical marine sediments showing a vast number of individual foraminiferal shells. Credit: Kaustubh Thirumalai, University of Arizona The last ice age peaked around 20,000 years ago and was marked by extensive glaciation and dramatic climate shifts that reshaped Earth’s oceans, landscapes and ecosystems. A study led by the University…
Climate models predict abrupt intensification of northern wildfires due to permafrost thawing
Schematic illustration showing the intensification of wildfires due to rapid permafrost thawing in a warmer climate. Credit: Institute for Basic Science, In-Won Kim A study, published in the journal Nature Communications by an international team of climate scientists and permafrost experts shows that, according to new climate computer model simulations, global warming will accelerate permafrost…
How a nearby supernova left its mark on Earth life
Artist’s impression of a supernova. Supernovae bombarded Earth with radiation that has implications for the development of life on Earth. Credit: NASA When a massive star explodes as a supernova, it does more than release an extraordinary amount of energy. Supernovae explosions are responsible for creating some of the heavy elements, including iron, which is…