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11 October 2016
Large precipitation events critical in replenishing groundwater resources
Large precipitation events that occur about every 10 years are a critical source of recharge for replenishing groundwater resources, according to a new study. Groundwater is a vital source of water in the western United States and will be increasingly important with continued population growth and climate variability. Understanding the role of these large recharge events in replenishing aquifers and sustaining water supplies is crucial for long-term groundwater management.
4 August 2016
Earlier snowmelt carries drastic consequences for forests
Earlier snowmelt periods associated with a warming climate may hinder subalpine forest regulation of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
26 May 2016
New study suggests less snow, earlier snowmelt at higher elevations in warming climate
Spring snowpack, relied on by ski resorts and water managers throughout the Western United States, may be more vulnerable to a warming climate in coming decades, according to a new study.
11 May 2016
North Dakota’s Bakken oil and gas field leaking 275,000 tons of methane per year
Researchers found that 275,000 tons of methane leak from the Bakken oil and gas field each year, similar to the emission rate found for another oil-producing region, Colorado’s Denver-Julesburg Basin. That’s the finding of the first field study measuring emissions of this potent greenhouse gas from the Bakken, which spans parts of North Dakota and Montana.
9 May 2016
More than half of streamflow in the Upper Colorado River Basin originates as groundwater
More than half of the streamflow in the Upper Colorado River Basin originates as groundwater, according to a new study published online today in Water Resources Research, a journal of the American Geophysical Union.
30 December 2015
Scientists develop new tools to anticipate coastal pollution in Maine
Scientists from the University of Maine, University of New Hampshire, and College of the Atlantic have now designed a new way to predict fine-scale watershed contamination along Maine’s coast. Their work will inform watershed management throughout the state and ultimately other coastal areas, said Sean Smith, a watershed geomorphologist at the University of Maine who presented the project at the 2015 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting.
1 September 2015
High water tables can be a boon to crop yields
High water tables can be a bane to crop yields, compelling many farmers to drain their fields so their crops don’t drown when it rains.
But a high water table may not always be a bad thing. A new study shows it is actually a boon for some fields and during certain times of the growing season, casting light on opportunities for improving yield efficiency to meet global food demands.
14 January 2015
Mountain monitoring system artificially inflates temperature increases at higher elevations
In a recent study, University of Montana and Montana Climate Office researcher Jared Oyler found that while the western U.S. has warmed, recently observed warming in the mountains of the western U.S. likely is not as large as previously supposed.
19 December 2014
Electromagnetic imaging helps scientists locate underwater methane
A simple compound found in underwater structures could generate warmth below the ocean, inside homes, and in the atmosphere. The location of the compound, methane, determines whether it’s dangerous, welcome, or world-changing.
Now, a team from GEOMAR in Kiel, Germany and the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom has used electromagnetic images to more accurately identify and characterize a source of methane beneath the ocean floor.
13 October 2014
Health check reveals how glacier is declining due to warming climate
Researchers from the British Geological Survey have taken the very first comprehensive health check of a rapidly melting glacier. Their latest study reveals that their icy patient, the Falljökull glacier in southeast Iceland, has been dramatically declining as it tries to adjust to recent changes in the climate.
GeoSpace is a blog on Earth and space science, managed by AGU’s Public Information staff. The blog features posts by AGU writers and guest contributors on all sorts of relevant science topics, but with a focus on new research and geo and space sciences-related stories that are currently in the news.