With a recent infusion of support from the federal government, the National Soil Moisture Network is moving ahead with its goal of integrating soil moisture data across the United States.
Hazards & Disasters
Many Water Cycle Diagrams Promote Misconceptions
Most representations of the water cycle are flawed, researchers found by analyzing over 450 diagrams: The effects of humans, seasonal changes, and different biomes are often neglected.
Fading Air Pollution Reduces Fog in Central Valley
The tule fog in California’s Central Valley is notorious for causing delays and accidents throughout the region; however, a decrease in air pollutants is reducing the fog’s frequency.
Space Is Polluted by Junk…and It’s Getting Worse
The major shift from state to commercial space programs, as well as a sharp rise in the number of upcoming launches, raises concerns about our efforts to manage the problem.
Extreme Precipitation Expected to Increase with Warming Planet
A new analysis indicates that the frequency and magnitude of extreme precipitation events are expected to increase as Earth continues to warm.
Ordinary Security Cameras Could Keep an Eye on Rainfall
A new opportunistic sensing strategy could use existing closed-circuit television networks to accurately capture rainfall intensity, despite low-cost equipment and visually complex scenes.
Role of Humans in Past Hurricane Potential Intensity Is Unclear
In recent decades, there have been more intense North Atlantic hurricanes. A new study compares climate models to see whether they can attribute increasing potential intensity to human activity.
Tracking Dissolved Organic Matter in Coastal Ecosystems
Dissolved organic matter supports aquatic food webs and holds as much carbon as the atmosphere. A new study tracks which sources and processes play the biggest role in coastal systems.
Variations in Creep Along One of Earth’s Most Active Faults
Satellite-based radar images of motion along Turkey’s North Anatolian Fault are helping scientists understand when, where, and how creep occurs and its implications for seismic hazard.
Eruption in El Salvador Was One of the Holocene’s Largest
Roughly 1,500 years ago, the Tierra Blanca Joven eruption blanketed Central America in ash and likely displaced Maya settlements, new research shows.
