Airborne particulate matter from the deserts of North Africa is reaching Europe in ever-increasing quantities. This has implications for health and for solar energy installations. A comprehensive study led by the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI published in Nature shows that this type of pollution is on the rise – a trend that could be further exacerbated by climate change.

The effects of extreme space weather may be larger than previously thought reveals research in Nature led by Dr Nithin Sivadas of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. An example of space weather are extreme geomagnetic storms which are temporary disturbances in the plasma and magnetic field around the Earth causing disruptions in global satellite communication, extensive power outages, and even how much radiation astronauts and pilots are exposed to.

The team found evidence from more than a million solar wind measurements taken by Earth-orbiting NASA spacecraft, very close to our planet. Analysis of these observations showed a direct relationship between the strength of the solar wind and the currents in the upper atmosphere, suggesting there is no upper limit but rather Earth’s response will continue to increase along with the solar wind strength, and impacts to technology can increase as well.

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have discovered that tiny photosynthetic bacteria band together into protective "herds" when attacked by predators – a survival strategy that could also influence how carbon is stored in the world's waters. 

In the aftermath of the July 4 floods that devastated Central Texas last year, hydrology associate professor Daniella Rempe wanted to purchase a flood alarm for her old summer camp: one that was built for the outdoors, loud, and that could be purchased off the shelf. She was shocked to discover that no such thing existed. One year later, Rempe and her collaborators have designed the flood alarm that she envisioned, and are working to bring it into production.

A new partnership between W&M’s VIMS & Batten School and NOAA is turning routine vessel operations and lost crab trap removal into a new source of valuable bathymetric data. The organizations are collaborating with watermen to track shallow water data as they retrieve derelict crab pots.