What was the cause of the great Tōhoku earthquake of 2011, and how can we better understand geological processes in order to protect coastal infrastructure in the long term – for example, from a tsunami like the one 13 years ago? These questions are currently the focus of a scientific expedition as part of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP), in which researchers from the MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen are participating. Since…
New AWI simulations make it possible to compare actual extreme weather events in various climate scenarios, and to gauge the role of global warming in connection with these extremes in the process. Only a few weeks ago, massive precipitation produced by the storm “Boris” led to chaos and flooding in Central and Eastern Europe. An analysis conducted by the Alfred Wegener Institute shows that in a world without the current level of global warming Boris would have deposited roughly nine…
On Sept. 26, 2024, as Hurricane Helene slammed into the Gulf Coast of Florida, NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment, or AWE, recorded enormous swells in the atmosphere that the hurricane produced roughly 55 miles above the ground. On Sept. 26, 2024, Hurricane Helene slammed into the Gulf Coast of Florida, inducing storm surges and widespread impacts on communities in its path. At the same time, NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment, or AWE, recorded enormous swells in the atmosphere that the hurricane produced roughly…
EU Twinning Project to Investigate Deep-Sea Food Webs around Madeira. A kick-off meeting was held yesterday in Funchal, Madeira, to officially launch the EU Twinning project TWILIGHTED. Over the next three years, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel will work as the German partner alongside institutions from Norway and Portugal to explore the twilight zone in waters around Madeira. At the same time, marine research in Madeira will be strengthened through knowledge transfer, with the goal to establish a…
Researchers in the Stanford Radio Glaciology lab use radio waves to understand rapidly changing ice sheets and their contributions to global sea-level rise. This technique has revealed groundwater beneath Greenland, the long-term impacts of extreme melt, a process that could accelerate ice sheet mass loss in Antarctica, the potential instability of an ice sheet that could raise sea levels by 10 feet, and more. Now, PhD students within the group have created an open-source tool that others can use to…
WMO report on global water resources: Third State of Global Water Resources report published / Unparalleled low water levels in the river basins of the Mississippi and the Amazon. Not only was 2023 characterized by unprecedentedly high temperatures but also by excessive droughts in many parts of the world as well as floods in other areas. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has now presented its third report on the status of global water resources. According to the report, 2023 was…
Battle for iron in the oceans of the early Earth. Team from the Universities of Tübingen and Bristol hypothesizes the contribution of different bacteria to form today’s deposits of banded iron ores. Early in the Earth’s development, the atmosphere contained no oxygen. Yet the iron dissolved in the oceans was oxidized in gigantic quantities and deposited as rock. It can be seen today, for example, as banded iron ore in South Africa. A new study investigates how various bacteria excrete…
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. Rare earth elements are found in smartphones, flat screen TVs, magnets, and even trains and missiles. They are also vital to the development of electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies such as wind…
Human settlement pressure increases disaster risk in mountain regions. Climate change together with population expansion will increase disaster risk especially for people in mountain regions. An underestimated danger in the mountains are slow-moving landslides, which damage buildings and infrastructure and can cause many fatalities in the event of a sudden collapse. The rapidly growing population is increasingly settling on steeper slopes and is therefore exposed to this risk, as researchers from the University of Potsdam and the Potsdam Institute for…
European measurement campaign atmo4ACTRIS launched. The atmospheric lidar ATLID, the last of four instruments on board the EarthCARE satellite launched in May, has now been successfully put into operation. The joint mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) is designed to measure clouds, aerosols and radiation more accurately than ever before. Researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) are making an important contribution by developing algorithms that derive the aerosol and cloud…
Extremely clean air on the ground, warm air intrusions and sulphate aerosol at high altitudes – a Leipzig research project has gained new insights into clouds in Antarctica. From January to December 2023, the vertical distribution of aerosol particles and clouds in the atmosphere above the German Neumayer Station III of the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) was investigated from the ground for the first time. The height-resolved measurements were the first of their…
In Search of the Origin of an Underwater Plateau. Today, the research vessel SONNE sets off on an expedition to the southwestern Indian Ocean. From 12 September to 28 October 2024, a team of 25 scientists, led by PD Dr Jörg Geldmacher from the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, will investigate the seabed south of Madagascar. Expedition SO307 will focus on geological and biological investigations to improve the understanding of the geology and biology of the seabed and…
SLF researchers are investigating how artificial stones move on rough ground in order to improve hazard indication maps. “Oh, oh, it’s broken,” says Joël Borner and looks after his boulder, down into the Hauptertälli. The SLF rockfall expert has launched a large, red-orange concrete block down the 30-degree slope from his launch site near the Weissfluhjoch near Davos, on command: “We launch in three, two, one, launch.” On its way down, the block then hit a rock – and split…
The SLF is researching permafrost and snow in Bhutan at an altitude of over 5000 meters and, together with the local population, is developing measures to reduce climate-related risks in the mountains. The Swiss National Science Foundation is funding the Cryo-Spirit project. Almost two years of intensive preparation were required. Now the time has come: Nadine Salzmann, head of the Alpine Environment and Natural Hazards research unit at the SLF, will set off for Bhutan next Saturday, September 14. In…
Researchers study cloud movement in the Arctic. Precise measurement of the warming and cooling of transported air masses for the first time. Special features of the Arctic climate, such as the strong reflection of the sun’s rays off the light snow or the low position of the sun, amplify global warming in the Arctic. However, researchers are often faced with the challenge of modelling the underlying climatic processes in order to be able to provide reliable weather forecasts. Scientists from…
SLF PhD student Patricia Asemann writes about her work on the Silvretta glacier, melting ice, falling winds and pasta with pesto. “Dancing in the moonlight” and Toto’s “Africa” sound off our phones’ speakers as we walk up the Silvretta glacier in the rhythm of the music. Our surroundings are beautiful but our eyes are fixed on the next bit of steep, bumpy, and slightly dirty ice to set our crampons on. Walking around on a glacier is usually pretty fun,…
Feedback
