An international team of researchers led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst has tracked changes in more than 114,000 rivers in High-mountain Asia over a 15-year period. The paper, published in AGU Advances, reported that nearly 10% of these rivers saw an increase in flow, with an increasing proportion of that water coming from glacial ice melt compared to precipitation.  

Rising sea levels could cause seasonal waves to reach Ahu Tongariki, the iconic ceremonial platform that is part of the Rapa Nui National Park, a UNESCO world heritage site by 2080, according to a study published recently by a team of researchers from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. This coastal flooding also threatens to impact up to 51 cultural assets in the area, including Rapa Nui’s world renowned moai statues. 

Scientists at Museums Victoria’s Research Institute have described a new species of ancient whale from a 26-million-year-old fossil found near Jan Juc, on Wadawurrung Country, along Victoria’s Surf Coast.

Richard Gordon, the W.M. Keck Foundation Professor of Geophysics, Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences at Rice University, has been named the 2025 recipient of the George P. Woollard Award from the Geological Society of America (GSA). The award recognizes a career of outstanding contributions to geology through the application of geophysical principles and techniques. Gordon’s work has transformed our understanding of global plate motions and plate boundary deformation.

Climate modeling leveraged by calibrating the so-called “soil color” parameter to enhance surface albedo simulation in the Weather Research and Forecasting model. This weakens land-atmosphere interactions with attenuated sensible heat and evapotranspiration, and suppresses water vapor flow into the Tibetan Plateau. Eventually, it reduces summertime precipitation wet bias by ~16% on the plateau. This study highlights the promise of enhancing climate modeling through the optimization of key land surface parameters, which is highly affordable through satellite remote sensing.