Solar-powered hot-air balloons, floating 2.5 times as high as Mount Everest, detected a buried explosion more clearly than ground-based sensors did.
Research Spotlights
Cyclone “Seed” Survival Affects Hurricane Season Intensity
Understanding how seed storms grow into full-blown hurricanes and typhoons could help predict hurricane season intensity in a changing climate.
A Transition Zone Below Jupiter’s Clouds
The microwave radiometer aboard NASA’s Juno spacecraft reveals the hidden atmospheric circulations at work deep below Jupiter’s colorful clouds.
Exploring Methane Emissions from Africa’s Tropical Forests
Global methane budgets suffer from a lack of field studies in African forests, but new research sheds light on methane emissions and uptake from upland forests in the Congo Basin.
Unearthing the Cause of Slow Seismic Waves in Subduction Zones
Researchers look to the fossil rock record to unearth the driving forces for variable seismic speed through subduction zones.
Seismology: A Promising Tool for Monitoring Permafrost
Passive seismic data from a station atop Germany’s highest peak reveal a 15-year record of permafrost degradation, suggesting that this technique could be used for long-term environmental monitoring.
Wind and Ocean Currents May Contribute to Mass Dolphin Strandings
Coastal wind patterns correlate with mass strandings of dolphins, suggesting that storm-induced upwelling could be influencing cetaceans’ behavior.
Identifying the World’s Most At-Risk River Basins
Major river basins around the world, including the Amazon, may be hot spots for ecological shifts as the planet warms.
Support for a “Jelly Sandwich” Model of the Tibetan Plateau
Computer modeling constrained by positional data collected in the aftermath of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake indicates the lower crust is less viscous than the upper mantle below it.
