EurekAlert! News by Subject: Earth Science - News by Subject: Earth Science

Earth Science

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 25-Oct-2025 05:11 ET (25-Oct-2025 09:11 GMT/UTC)

New study finds large fluctuations in sea level occurred throughout the last ice age, a significant shift in understanding of past climate

Oregon State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Large changes in global sea level, fueled by fluctuations in ice sheet growth and decay, occurred throughout the last ice age, rather than just toward the end of that period.

The findings represent a significant change in researchers’ understanding of how the Pleistocene – the geological period from about 2.6 million to 11,700 years ago and commonly known as the last ice age – developed.

Journal: Science

Research shows how Dust Bowl-type drought causes unprecedented productivity loss

Colorado State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A global research effort shows that extreme, prolonged drought conditions in grasslands and shrublands would greatly limit the long-term health of crucial ecosystems that cover nearly half the planet. The findings are particularly relevant as climate change increases the possibility of more severe droughts in the future – potentially leading to a situation that echoes the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.

Journal: Science

Coral skeletons left by a medieval tsunami whisper warning for Caribbean region

University of Washington
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new collaborative study led by scientists at the University of Washington and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science proposes that a tsunami struck the Caribbean island of Anegada between 1381 and 1391, carrying huge coral boulders inland and leaving behind a valuable record of geologic and climatic history.

Journal: Geophysical Research Letters

Climate whiplash effects due to rapidly intensifying El Niño cycles

Institute for Basic Science
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study published in the journal Nature Communications reveals that the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a key driver of global climate variability, is projected to undergo a dramatic transformation due to greenhouse warming. Using high-resolution climate models (Figure 1), a team of researchers from South Korea, the USA, Germany, and Ireland found that ENSO could intensify rapidly over the coming decades and synchronize with other major climate phenomena, reshaping global temperature and rainfall patterns by the end of the 21^st century.

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: Institute for Basic Science

Addressing inequality in climate research

Kyoto University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Kyoto, Japan -- Global climate action based on the Paris Agreement is progressing, but concerns have been raised that the future projections and scenarios forming the scientific basis for these actions are biased toward a limited number of regions and research institutions.

Climate research teams have created long-term climate mitigation scenarios known as integrated assessment models, which map the technological feasibility of climate change countermeasures, their associated costs, and their long-term effects. Many of these are model comparison projects, a method in which research teams from multiple countries and institutions conduct model simulations based on similar experimental settings and compare the results.

However, only a limited number of research teams can participate in these projects, and the inevitable result is that they do not adequately reflect diverse global perspectives, in particular those of developing countries.

Journal: Nature Climate Change
Funder: Japan Science and Technology Agency, Ministry of the Environment

New research submarine after Ran got lost under the ice

University of Gothenburg
Business Announcement

The deal is done for the new underwater vehicle that will replace Ran, the submarine that was lost under a glacier in Antarctica in 2024. A large donation means that researchers at the University of Gothenburg can plan for new expeditions.

Biochar shows big promise for climate-friendly soil management

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Turning agricultural and organic waste into biochar could help store more carbon in the soil and slow climate change, according to a new study published in Biochar. Researchers from Prairie View A&M University reviewed recent findings showing that biochar improves soil health, boosts microbial diversity, and captures carbon that would otherwise enter the atmosphere as greenhouse gases.

Journal: Biochar

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