EurekAlert! News by Subject: Earth Science

Earth Science

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 21-Oct-2026 14:16 ET (21-Oct-2026 18:16 GMT/UTC)

15-Sep-2026

Engineers crack puzzle of Arctic sea ice movement

University of California - Riverside
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Arctic sea ice moves and spreads in ways that wind alone cannot explain. A new UC Riverside-led study finds that collisions between individual pieces of ice provide a surprisingly simple explanation for these movements, potentially offering a better way to predict where sea ice will travel as the Arctic warms.

Journal: Physical Review Letters

15-Sep-2026

New species of 240-million-year-old prehistoric animal from Tanzania discovered

University of Bristol
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new prehistoric animal species from Tanzania dating back around 240 million years to the Triassic period has been described by an international team of researchers. Led by the University of Bristol, the new species, named Dinodontosaurus isiyavamanda, could help scientists refine the age of one of the world’s most significant fossil sites, and reshape the timeline of early dinosaur evolution.

Journal: Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology

15-Sep-2026

Why most rivers don’t respond to storms the same way twice

University of British Columbia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A global analysis of catchments underscores the complexities of modelling river run off and flooding—and provides new tools for hydrologists.

Journal: Nature Water
Funder: Canadian Statistical Sciences Institute, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

15-Sep-2026

Bath receives £1.9 million funding to unlock energy hidden in the sky

University of Bath
Grant and Award Announcement

The project aims to help high-altitude aircraft harness atmospheric gravity waves, increasing flight endurance and enabling year-round operations.

Funder: Advanced Research and Invention Agency

15-Sep-2026

Great Salt Lake’s ancient past reveals how quickly fresh water can disappear

University of Southern California
Peer-Reviewed Publication

USC Dornsife researchers studying the history of Utah’s Great Salt Lake identified two brief, deep-lake phases when the water was much fresher than now. Their analysis of core samples spanning the past 240,000 years shows that the most recent freshwater phase, which formed Lake Bonneville, lasted longer and was fresher than the earlier Little Valley lake phase. The researchers found that both lakes shrank and became salty as the regional climate warmed and dried, offering possible insights into Great Salt Lake’s future in the face of climate change.

Journal: Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology

14-Sep-2026

Greenhouse gas benefits of ag irrigation outweigh emissions costs

Colorado State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Irrigating U.S. crops prevents higher greenhouse gas emissions by avoiding land conversion, groundbreaking new research by Colorado State University shows.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Funder: U.S. Department of Agriculture

14-Sep-2026

Long-term biochar use may help conserve nitrogen deep in alkaline paddy soils

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Nitrogen applied to agricultural soils does not always remain available to crops. Microorganisms can transform nitrate through several competing pathways, some of which conserve nitrogen in the soil while others ultimately remove it from the system. A new study published in Biochar shows that long-term biochar amendment can reshape this competition throughout the soil profile, promoting nitrogen retention in deep alkaline paddy soils.

Journal: Biochar