You are browsing the archive for 2016 Fall Meeting Archives - GeoSpace.
27 December 2016
Random temperature fluctuations may have made Earth habitable
Random temperature fluctuations in the mantle and on the planet’s surface could be the reason Earth is a habitable world with moving tectonic plates while other terrestrial planets in the solar system are inhospitable worlds, according to new research.
Commercial oyster farming could help increase biodiversity in Delaware Bay, scientists say
Commercial oyster aquacultures can restore lost biodiversity by cleaning up polluted waterways, according to new research. A new study finds oyster farms in the Delaware Bay increased biodiversity when introduced into the waterway and could possibly restore the bay to its previous, healthier state, according to the researchers.
26 December 2016
Hot springs in California host snapshot of early Earth conditions
Conditions in the hot alkaline springs of Paoha Island in Mono Lake, California, could be similar to Earth’s pre-oxygen environment billions of years ago, according to new research. Studying the springs could help scientists better understand microbial biodiversity as it evolved in the early Earth atmosphere.
23 December 2016
Horse hair can help improve accuracy of climate data
In a new study, researchers used horsehair to determine that latitude influences certain climate measurements. The finding could help scientists find other factors potentially affecting climate measurements and to better understand how to compare climate records from different locations, according to the study’s authors.
22 December 2016
Humidity may cloud sediment deposits used to study storms
Using sediment as an indicator of past hurricanes may not work well in hot, humid environments, a new study finds. The finding could change the way scientists hunt for evidence of past storms, according to the study’s authors.
Iconic bristlecone pines may not survive global climate change
Bristlecone pines—including Methusaleh, one of the world’s oldest trees—have lived in North America’s Great Basin for thousands of years. But warming temperatures due to climate change could cause trouble for the ancient trees by tipping the ecological balance in favor of the conifer’s neighbor, the limber pine, said scientists at the 2016 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting.
21 December 2016
New study differentiates between Utah’s natural and induced earthquakes
Mining activity caused nearly half of all earthquakes in Utah over the past three decades, according to a new study. By studying the epicenters of 6,846 earthquakes occurring in the state between 1982 and 2016, scientists at the University of Utah determined 3,957 of them occurred naturally and 2,889 were caused by coal mining.
16 December 2016
How do you track the mass of a tree over time? Watch it move.
Dancing trees may be able to teach scientists about tree health during a drought, according to a new study.
15 December 2016
Some corals and scallops better able to handle ocean acidification, study finds
Some coral and mollusk species are adjusting to acidifying ocean waters better than previously thought, according to new research.
Deposits discovered in Monterey Canyon’s mouth may cause marine landslides, study finds
Researchers have discovered a large concentration of sediment deposits at the end of Monterey Canyon, an underwater chasm beneath Monterey Bay, California. The sediment deposits are relatively young and may be more likely to catalyze underwater landslides than other sections of the canyon, according to the researchers who presented their discovery at the 2016 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting.
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.