{"@attributes":{"version":"2.0"},"channel":{"title":"Earth News - Earth Science News, Earth Science, Climate Change","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/earth-news\/","language":"en-us","description":"Earth science research, climate change, and global warming.  The latest news and updates from Phys.org","item":[{"title":"Infrastructure for African mines destroying forests at 34 times the rate of the mines themselves","description":"Industrial-scale mining in Africa to support global supply chains is leading to unprecedented deforestation across the continent, with 34 hectares of forest removed for every single hectare of active mine site.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-infrastructure-african-destroying-forests.html","category":"Environment","pubDate":"Sat, 06 Jun 2026 16:00:03 EDT","guid":"news699720306"},{"title":"Mount Etna eruptions reveal carbon dioxide and water can trigger separate explosive paths","description":"The plumbing systems of volcanoes are vast and complex. But they aren't consistent, even in the same volcano. A Cornell-led collaboration found very different mechanisms behind two historic eruptions of Mount Etna in Italy. Understanding these dynamics\u2014combined with the techniques that revealed them\u2014can help geologists assess the risk of future eruptions.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-mount-etna-eruptions-reveal-carbon.html","category":"Earth Sciences","pubDate":"Sat, 06 Jun 2026 14:00:06 EDT","guid":"news699624667"},{"title":"Volcanic eruptions linked to rising famine risk across China's history","description":"Large volcanic eruptions may have played a bigger role in triggering historical famines across China than previously understood, according to a new study that traced links between eruptions, climate disruption, and food shortages over more than four centuries.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-volcanic-eruptions-linked-famine-china.html","category":"Earth Sciences","pubDate":"Sat, 06 Jun 2026 10:20:01 EDT","guid":"news699624109"},{"title":"Hidden meltwater found deep in Antarctic coastal waters reveals stronger climate impacts","description":"Freshwater from melting Antarctic glaciers may be influencing the Southern Ocean in ways scientists have largely overlooked. New research, published in Frontiers in Marine Science, has found that glacial meltwater is not confined to the ocean's surface, as previously assumed, but can also be detected much deeper in coastal waters along the Western Antarctic Peninsula.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-hidden-meltwater-deep-antarctic-coastal.html","category":"Earth Sciences","pubDate":"Fri, 05 Jun 2026 08:00:06 EDT","guid":"news699710011"},{"title":"North Atlantic spring storms have grown more common since 1940, analysis reveals","description":"Storm Dave, which swept across northern Europe over the Easter weekend, is an example of what new research from the University of Gothenburg has revealed. Spring storms forming over the North Atlantic have become more common than they were 80 years ago, and this is due to climate change.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-north-atlantic-storms-grown-common.html","category":"Earth Sciences","pubDate":"Fri, 05 Jun 2026 05:17:34 EDT","guid":"news699855408"},{"title":"Warming boosts natural methane emissions as microbes fail to keep pace","description":"A new study led by Professor Mark Trimmer of Queen Mary University of London, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, explains how increases in natural methane emissions will be maximized under future climate warming.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-boosts-natural-methane-emissions-microbes.html","category":"Earth Sciences","pubDate":"Fri, 05 Jun 2026 05:00:03 EDT","guid":"news699785462"},{"title":"Billions face growing water risk as sediment fills reservoirs faster than expected worldwide","description":"Reservoirs around the world are losing storage capacity at an average rate of 7.3% per decade\u2014disproportionately affecting small reservoirs, which together provide water to billions of people. The data come from a study published in Nature Sustainability, which offers the clearest global assessment of reservoir sedimentation to date.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-billions-sediment-reservoirs-faster-worldwide.html","category":"Environment","pubDate":"Fri, 05 Jun 2026 05:00:02 EDT","guid":"news699808483"},{"title":"Smarter land use could unlock biodiversity, climate and economic gains across 146 countries","description":"National governments and multilateral institutions face difficult challenges reconciling environmental goals, such as biodiversity conservation and addressing climate change, with economic development goals. In a first-of-its-kind analysis done for 146 countries around the world, an interdisciplinary research team led by researchers at the University of Minnesota has found large potential gains in biodiversity, climate and economic development from improved land use and land management. The findings are published in Science.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-smarter-biodiversity-climate-economic-gains.html","category":"Environment","pubDate":"Thu, 04 Jun 2026 19:00:01 EDT","guid":"news699807601"},{"title":"Easily overlooked small wetlands are a big source of global methane","description":"Waterlogged land areas such as marshes, bogs and fens are the world's largest natural source of methane. Even the smallest of wetlands emit this powerful greenhouse gas. In a study from The University of Texas at Austin, researchers have identified tens of millions of easily overlooked small wetlands across the globe and found that they have a substantial collective impact, accounting for 24% of the world's total non-forested wetland emissions of methane. This research is published in Nature Climate Change.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-easily-overlooked-small-wetlands-big.html","category":"Environment","pubDate":"Thu, 04 Jun 2026 18:20:01 EDT","guid":"news699806401"},{"title":"Global mangrove forests rebound, offering hopeful sign for climate and coastal resilience","description":"Mangrove forests, once considered one of the world's most threatened coastal ecosystems, are showing signs of recovery worldwide, according to new research from Tulane University that finds decades of losses largely offset by regrowth and expansion.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-global-mangrove-forests-rebound-climate.html","category":"Earth Sciences","pubDate":"Thu, 04 Jun 2026 14:00:06 EDT","guid":"news699695101"},{"title":"Wildfires reverse decade of ozone cleanup in the United States, study reveals","description":"Ozone pollution has worsened in much of the continental United States over the past decade, fueled by wildfires and the long-distance transport of unhealthy air, according to a new study titled \"Fires reverse progress toward ozone air quality standards in the U.S.,\" led by University of Iowa researchers and published in the journal Science.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-wildfires-reverse-decade-ozone-cleanup.html","category":"Earth Sciences","pubDate":"Thu, 04 Jun 2026 14:00:03 EDT","guid":"news699782161"},{"title":"On-demand Arctic observations with low-cost balloon systems could sharpen local storm forecasts","description":"Arctic communities are increasingly exposed to dangerous weather events due to climate change and rely on accurate weather forecasts. However, conditions in the lower atmosphere remain poorly observed in the Arctic because monitoring systems are expensive and difficult to deploy.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-demand-arctic-balloon-sharpen-local.html","category":"Earth Sciences","pubDate":"Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:40:06 EDT","guid":"news699792062"},{"title":"Buoys track ocean waves across 14,000 km, from storms in Antarctica to ripples in Alaska","description":"For the first time, mighty ocean waves generated in the Southern Ocean have been accurately measured all the way to the tiny ripples they form on the shores of Alaska. Professor Ian Young, from the University of Melbourne's Department of Infrastructure Engineering, is lead author on a landmark study that analyzed data from 300 drifting ocean buoys to gain a detailed understanding of how storms in Antarctica drive waves all around the globe.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-buoys-track-ocean-km-storms.html","category":"Earth Sciences","pubDate":"Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:00:05 EDT","guid":"news699790321"},{"title":"'Out-of-place' rocks reveal how a young ocean formed","description":"Deep below the Tyrrhenian Sea offshore Italy, scientists drilled into what they thought would be dark mantle rock\u2014and found pieces of granite that seemingly had no business being there. Those unexpected intrusions turned out to offer a rare glimpse of how a massive fault rapidly pulled deep Earth rocks toward the surface during the opening of a young ocean basin.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-reveal-young-ocean.html","category":"Earth Sciences","pubDate":"Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:20:04 EDT","guid":"news699787381"},{"title":"Understanding Earth's hidden east-west symmetry could improve climate models","description":"Earth is divided into two halves: the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Both reflect equal amounts of sunlight (albedo) even though they have different landmasses and weather patterns, especially cloud distribution. Why this is so is an ongoing mystery waiting to be solved.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-earth-hidden-east-west-symmetry.html","category":"Earth Sciences","pubDate":"Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:00:06 EDT","guid":"news699787932"},{"title":"Japan's new seafloor record could sharpen megathrust earthquake warnings in Nankai Trough","description":"Off the southern coast of Japan, the Philippine Sea Plate lies underneath the Japanese mainland. The locked tectonic plates threaten to unleash a catastrophic megathrust earthquake, likely within the next few decades. Given the potential devastation a large quake could evoke, constant developments in predictive technology must be sought. However, predicting the unpredictable movement of the seafloor requires innovative thought.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-japan-seafloor-sharpen-megathrust-earthquake.html","category":"Earth Sciences","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 18:00:06 EDT","guid":"news699715141"},{"title":"Arctic river deltas face rising climate pressure while holding vast frozen carbon reserves","description":"Many rivers flow into the Arctic Ocean north of the Arctic Circle\u2014including the Lena in Siberia and the Mackenzie River in Canada. The deltas of these large and small rivers store large amounts of carbon, which is bound there in frozen soils and sediments. Climate change, however, is destabilizing the deltas from the ocean and land side and also from the air.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-arctic-river-deltas-climate-pressure.html","category":"Earth Sciences","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:10:01 EDT","guid":"news699720242"},{"title":"Warming unlocks ancient carbon in Tibetan permafrost, triggering climate tipping point","description":"A new study in Nature Communications  finds a critical climate tipping point in Tibetan permafrost ecosystems. Warming of 2\u20134 degrees Celsius triggers a self-reinforcing cycle of carbon release that could significantly accelerate climate change, according to the work.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-ancient-carbon-tibetan-permafrost-triggering.html","category":"Earth Sciences","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:20:04 EDT","guid":"news699718093"},{"title":"SWOT satellite gets clearer ocean data after fix for hidden underwater wave interference","description":"Florida State University research published in Science Advances demonstrates a new framework for predicting the motion of kilometer-scale underwater waves that complicate satellite readings of the ocean.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-swot-satellite-clearer-ocean-hidden.html","category":"Earth Sciences","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:00:11 EDT","guid":"news699703741"},{"title":"Deep-Earth seismic anomalies may be explained by newly discovered manganese compound","description":"Scientists know that manganese, in its various oxide forms, plays a significant role in Earth's geochemical cycles. However, the exact forms of manganese, their abundance and the mechanisms behind these cycles that occur in Earth's deep, high-pressure interior are not well understood. But, a recent study, published in Physical Review B, reports on a newly discovered manganese rich compound that might help shed light on manganese's behavior in Earth's interior and explain why seismic waves slow down in certain regions.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-deep-earth-seismic-anomalies-newly.html","category":"Earth Sciences","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:10:02 EDT","guid":"news699706812"},{"title":"Climate change may shift hailstorms toward Earth's poles\u2014new study","description":"Everyone has a storm story\u2014whether it's that time you just escaped a downpour, or the hailstorm that wrote off your car. Even though hailstorms are relatively rare, they cause significant damage. Two new studies shed light on how hail might change as the world warms.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-climate-shift-hailstorms-earth-poles.html","category":"Environment","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:00:01 EDT","guid":"news699700994"},{"title":"Hail conditions on the move as winter crops face rising risk","description":"A hailstorm can undo a season's work in minutes. It can strike quickly and unevenly, shredding wheat, bruising fruit, flattening crops\u2014while also leaving neighboring paddocks untouched. In a new Nature Climate Change study, scientists from UNSW Sydney say the geography and seasonality of that risk is changing.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-hail-conditions-winter-crops.html","category":"Environment","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:40:07 EDT","guid":"news699701581"},{"title":"Rising seas could eventually 'drown' mangroves and release carbon","description":"Mangroves could store less carbon\u2014and even begin releasing it\u2014as sea levels rise, suggests new research in Earth's Future. Mangroves are made up of salt-tolerant plants that grow in coastal areas. They cover less than 1% of Earth's surface but store about 15% of all ocean carbon, most of it in their soils. This ability to store carbon makes them important in efforts to limit climate change. Previous research has suggested rising seas could increase carbon storage in mangroves, but the new study challenges this.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-seas-eventually-mangroves-carbon.html","category":"Earth Sciences","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 09:00:03 EDT","guid":"news699551281"},{"title":"Climate-based tool predicts coral bleaching months in advance, offering critical lead time for reef protection","description":"Researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have developed a new method to predict coral bleaching five to six months before it occurs, giving reef managers valuable time to protect vulnerable ecosystems. In the new study, \"Climate modes can be leveraged to forecast coral bleaching months in advance,\" published in Communications Earth & Environment, researchers demonstrate that coral bleaching on the Caribbean island of Cura\u00e7ao occurs when three major climate patterns in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans align in specific ways that intensify ocean warming.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-climate-based-tool-coral-months.html","category":"Environment","pubDate":"Tue, 02 Jun 2026 19:20:03 EDT","guid":"news699629281"},{"title":"Canadian forest fires are losing their climate cooling power, says study","description":"Diminishing periods of snow cover in northern forests, shortened by climate change, are poised to disrupt a delicate balance in some of the planet's most climate-sensitive regions\u2014according to new research from McMaster University, VU Amsterdam, and the Woodwell Climate Research Center.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-canadian-forest-climate-cooling-power.html","category":"Earth Sciences","pubDate":"Tue, 02 Jun 2026 18:20:03 EDT","guid":"news699625202"},{"title":"Faster lower-cost PFAS testing could reshape how US drinking water is monitored","description":"A new investigation from the University of Kansas improves detection of PFAS, a family of so-called \"forever chemicals\" in drinking water supplies. The method, which can measure trace pollution levels of PFAS in water more quickly and inexpensively than current techniques, was recently detailed in the journal PLOS Water.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-faster-pfas-reshape.html","category":"Environment","pubDate":"Tue, 02 Jun 2026 17:30:01 EDT","guid":"news699637142"},{"title":"Antarctic 'sky rivers' deliver up to 90% of snowfall, 3D algorithm suggests","description":"Atmospheric rivers act like \"rivers in the sky,\" shuttling intense bands of warm, heavy moisture from lower to higher latitudes. When an atmospheric river encounters cold air or mountainous terrain, the moisture it carries condenses and falls as heavy rain or snow. In Antarctica, the arrival of an atmospheric river can help build surface ice mass. Much of Antarctica is very dry; an atmospheric river can bring the moisture needed to potentially offset some ice loss.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-antarctic-sky-rivers-snowfall-3d.html","category":"Earth Sciences","pubDate":"Tue, 02 Jun 2026 17:20:03 EDT","guid":"news699622368"},{"title":"Environmental engineers reshape understanding of airborne pollution particles","description":"From sizzling bacon in the kitchen to wildfire smoke in the sky, cooking and pollution release microscopic particles that affect humans' health, the air they breathe, and even weather and climate. New research from Virginia Tech is poised to upend how scientists think about the structure of these tiny airborne droplets and what that means for predictions around air quality, pollution spread, and climate models.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-environmental-reshape-airborne-pollution-particles.html","category":"Environment","pubDate":"Tue, 02 Jun 2026 16:50:02 EDT","guid":"news699635161"},{"title":"Amazon rainforest emits new stress-defense molecules during El Ni\u00f1o drought","description":"The Amazon rainforest responded to the most severe drought ever recorded in the basin with an unexpected defense mechanism. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, Germany, found that during and after the intense 2023\u20132024 El Ni\u00f1o cycle, the most intense drought ever recorded in the region, vegetation significantly changed its chemical emissions to cope with environmental stress. The study was published in Communications Earth & Environment.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-amazon-rainforest-emits-stress-defense.html","category":"Earth Sciences","pubDate":"Tue, 02 Jun 2026 16:30:02 EDT","guid":"news699633241"},{"title":"Six roads to safety: A critical threshold for wildfire survival","description":"If your community was threatened by a wildfire, would you be able to quickly evacuate? A new study from UC Santa Barbara reveals that the number of roads out of a community may be one of the strongest predictors of wildfire fatalities, and that a surprisingly specific threshold separates high-risk communities from safer ones.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-roads-safety-critical-threshold-wildfire.html","category":"Environment","pubDate":"Tue, 02 Jun 2026 16:00:05 EDT","guid":"news699620245"}]}}