How far into the future can we look? Research study confirms intrinsic limits of weather forecasting and identifies reasons / Forecasts for midlatitude weather could be significantly improved. Weather-related disasters and climatological extremes, including rivers bursting their banks and flooding as well as heatwaves and droughts, cause tragic loss of life and cost billions of dollars in property damage each year. Therefore, weather forecasts and protective measures are enormously important and will become even more relevant in the future. However,…
Embassy reception on board at harbour call in Hobart, Tasmania, between two Antarctic expeditions. She has been travelling in the Arctic and Antarctic in the service of research for over 40 years, but there are still areas that are new territory even for the Polarstern: Between two expeditions to East Antarctica, the Alfred Wegener Institute’s research icebreaker reached Hobart in Tasmania on 30 January 2024 and will remain there until 6 February. The German Embassy in Australia, together with the…
Weather and Climate Model ICON published under Open Source License. The scientific and research community in Germany and Switzerland is setting a milestone in climate and weather research: Since January 31, 2024, the renowned climate and weather model ICON has been made available to the public under an open source license. This groundbreaking step contributes to making science and scientific services more transparent. At the same time, it enables further scientific progress in an area from which society can particularly…
… essential to monitor climate change. We know that our climate is changing. Extreme weather events are becoming more common, sea levels are rising and overall, our planet is getting warmer. Monitoring these changes is critical. One of the best indicators of climate change is the Ocean Heat Content (OHC) estimate, a measurement of overall oceanic temperature calculated by gathering water temperature data in oceans around the world in differing locations, at varying depths and across time. The data necessary…
For the first time without any chemical treatment, a research team analyses extraterrestrial amino acids and other organic compounds in an English meteorite fall. Meteorites are fragments of asteroids which find their way to Earth as shooting stars and provide information on the origins of our solar system. A team of researchers has examined the so-called Winchcombe meteorite and demonstrated the existence in it of nitrogen compounds such as amino acids and heterocyclic hydrocarbons – without applying any chemical treatment…
In January 2024, the third research mission of the German Marine Research Alliance mareXtreme starts with significant participation of GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. As part of the mission, about 150 scientists from 29 research institutions and partner organisations investigate how risk management for extreme marine events and natural hazards can be improved. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the science ministries of the northern German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony and…
Fault roughness and stress heterogeneity control induced seismicity. This is important for hydraulic stimulation in reservoirs. Man-made earthquakes, so called induced seismicity, have become an increasing concern. These events can occur during fluid injection or extraction such as in oil or gas reservoirs, wastewater disposal, or geothermal reservoirs. In few cases larger co-called ‘runaway induced earthquakes’ were strong enough to cause public concern and stopping projects (e.g. 2006 Basel/Switzerland) or even substantial damage (2017 Pohang/South Korea). Intense research, however, has…
Improved mapping gives decision makers a new tool for protecting infrastructure as Arctic warms. New insights from artificial intelligence about permafrost coverage in the Arctic may soon give policy makers and land managers the high-resolution view they need to predict climate-change-driven threats to infrastructure such as oil pipelines, roads and national security facilities. “The Arctic is warming four times faster than the rest of the globe, and permafrost is a component of the Arctic that’s changing really rapidly,” said Evan…
Tiny particles such as ice crystals or ash particles tend to oscillate as they settle through the atmosphere. In their experiments, the scientists were able to track non-spherical particles of size smaller than 1 millimeter with unprecedented accuracy. Their observations gave rise to a model which can help to refine prediction on air pollutants or weather forecasts. The atmosphere contains many tiny solid particles. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) and the University of Göttingen…
A research team from the University of Münster has for the first time discovered anomalous meter-sized rocks on the lunar surface that are covered in dust and presumably exhibit unique properties – such as magnetic anomalies. These findings help to understand the processes that form and change the lunar crust. The study has been published in the “Journal of Geophysical Research – Planets”. Our Earth’s Moon is almost completely covered in dust. Unlike on Earth, this dust is not smoothed…
Solving major puzzle in Lunar Geology New research has cracked a vital process in the creation of a unique rock type from the Moon. The discovery explains its signature composition and very presence on the lunar surface at all, unravelling a mystery which has long eluded scientists. The study, published today in Nature Geoscience, reveals a key step in the genesis of these distinctive magmas. A combination of high temperature laboratory experiments using molten rocks, together with sophisticated isotopic analyses of lunar…
International research team measures isotopic composition of lunar rocks. An international team of geoscientists from the Universities of Münster and Bristol in England have explained why a large part of the moon is made up of unique rocks that do not occur on Earth. The results have now been published in the scientific journal “Nature Geoscience”. Their high Ti contents are ultimately believed to be derived from a distinct mineralogical layer formed as part of the unstable crystal pile that…
Geophysicists from Freie Universität Berlin among the researchers investigating human-induced earthquakes. It is common knowledge that humans have a big effect on the world and their natural environment. However, what may be less well-known is that humans can also induce earthquakes. Industrial activities such as geothermal energy production, fracking for oil and natural gas, and wastewater disposal can all lead to increased seismic activity that commonly takes the form of earthquakes. In extreme cases, these earthquakes can lead to casualties…
The recent cold spell has plunged the nation into a deep freeze, resulting in the closure of 247 national parks, the cancellation of 14 domestic flights, and the scrapping of 107 cruise ship voyages. While the cold snap brought relief by significantly reducing the prevalence of particulate matter obscuring our surroundings, a recent study indicates that, besides diminishing particulate matter, it is significantly contributing to the heightened uptake of carbon dioxide by the East Sea. According to research conducted by…
EU research project MOSMIN to monitor and secure mining-related deposits. Mining remains essential to meet the growing demand for raw materials. But there are potential environmental risks associated with mining, such as the instability of tailings dams or the contamination of soil and water. In order to prevent these risks and optimize the efficiency of resource extraction, twelve international partners within the framework of the European research project MOSMIN have set themselves the task of using Copernicus satellite and ground-based…
In a study that could enhance weather forecasting, Utah researchers discover that how snowflakes move is astonishingly predictable. Tim Garrett has devoted his scientific career to characterizing snowflakes, the protean particles of ice that form in clouds and dramatically change as they fall to Earth. Now the University of Utah atmospheric scientist is unlocking the mystery of how snowflakes move in response to air turbulence that accompanies snowfall using novel instrumentation developed on campus. And after analyzing more than half…
Feedback
