Sunlight Can Hinder Oil Spill Cleanup Efforts
A 2003 report by the National Research Council of the National Academies of Sciences estimated that more than 1.3 million metric tons of petroleum make it into the sea each year. Among the tools used to lessen the impact of oil spills are chemical dispersants which break up the floating oil into small droplets. But […]
SWARM Tracks the Ocean’s Magnetic Field
Earth’s magnetic fields protect us from deadly radiation from high-energy solar particles and cosmic rays. Most of this protective shield is produced by a vast amount of hot molten iron swirling around in our planet’s outer core. But there’s another little-known contributor to our geomagnetic field. It’s the salty and electrically conductive ocean. When salty ocean […]
Nearby Supernovae Showered Earth and Moon With Radioactive Iron
Artist Animation of Star Explosion (NASA/JPL/Australian National University) Two new studies suggest radioactive bits of a nearby star or stars that exploded into a supernova or supernovae showered the Earth and Moon with radioactive iron a couple of million years ago. Both studies found the stellar evidence in concentrations of an isotope of iron called […]
NASA’S MAVEN Solves Mars Atmosphere Mystery
Last month NASA dropped a bombshell when it announced it had found evidence of water flowing on Mars. Yesterday the space agency held a press conference at its Washington headquarters to announce that they may have solved a decades-old mystery of what happened to the Martian atmosphere and its water, when they presented new findings […]
Where Does Rain Go; Ocean Organics Form Cloud Ice; Hot Peppers May Fight Cancer
What Happens to Precipitation After it Falls to Earth? Have you ever wondered what happens to rain or snow once it falls on Earth? Researchers from the University of Utah and Oregon State University analyzed measurements, taken by the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) on NASA’s Aura satellite, of the two forms of hydrogen contained within […]
Researchers Map Plastic Debris in Pacific Ocean
A team of volunteers, sailing in a flotilla of some thirty vessels, has successfully completed its month long research expedition through the eastern portion of the infamous Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch. The first group of boats from the 30 vessel fleet, along with the Ocean Starr, a former NOAA research vehicle which served as […]
Saturn Moon’s Wobble Could Be Clue to What’s Inside
Scientists with NASA’s Cassini Mission, which has been studying Saturn since 2004, were trying to figure out just how much one of its moons, Mimas, wobbled as it orbits the ringed planet. After reviewing and analyzing copious images snapped by the robotic probe and running several models, the scientists think the moon’s wobble could be […]
Giant Jovian Moon Might Have an Ocean and Ice ‘Club Sandwich’
Ganymede is Jupiter’s largest moon; in fact it’s the solar system’s biggest moon. Now members of the Icy Worlds team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) think that the giant moon, which is even larger than the planet Mercury, may have several layers of ice and liquid oceans piled atop each other, much like a […]
Earth’s Magnetic Fields Guide Salmon Home to Spawn
Earth’s magnetic fields play a significant role in helping salmon find their way home to spawn, according to two new studies from Oregon State University. After poring over 56 years of data, the researchers found that a magnetic map is responsible for providing sockeye salmon with their keen sense of direction which guides them home, […]
Ocean Health Rates 60 Out of 100
For many students, getting 60 percent on a test is practically a failing grade. Yet a new study, which rates overall ocean health at 60 out of a 100, suggests that score is not as bad as some think. The Ocean Health Index (OCI) assesses the health of the oceans using a wide spectrum of […]