Askoa Ibisate, geographer specialising in fluvial geomorphology, has analysed how the disappearance of the Olloki dam affects sediment transport. Ibisate concluded that the volume of pebbles mobilised by the demolition has increased, and their journey has been extended. The results are particularly significant because the monitoring work has been ongoing for seven years and the authorities are provided with valuable information for predicting the consequences of dam demolition.

Analysis of stalagmite samples from caves in southern Morocco has provided new insights into rainfall patterns in the Sahara Desert in the past. Researchers from the University of Oxford and the Institut National des Sciences de l’Archéologie et du Patrimoine have discovered that rainfall in the desert increased between 8,700 and 4,300 years ago, which had a major impact on ancient herding societies. The study is available to read in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters.

High above Earth’s poles, intense electrical currents called electrojets flow through the upper atmosphere when auroras glow in the sky. In March, NASA plans to launch its EZIE (Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer) mission to learn more about these powerful currents, in the hopes of ultimately mitigating the effects of such space weather for humans on Earth.