Divisions

Elisabetta Billotta and Maddalena Perrini May 24, 2023

The role of Geothermal Energy in the energetic and environmental challenge.

How does a Geothermal system work? Heat is a form of energy and, strictly speaking, geothermal energy is heat from inside the Earth. The large amount of thermal energy enclosed below the earth’s surface derives in part from its primordial formation process and in part originates from the decay of radioactive isotopes present mainly in the earth’s crust and, secondarily, in the mantle. ...[Read More]

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Geodynamics

More than a homework: “I am a rock”

Elvira Mulyukova, Cedric Thieulot and edited by Ágnes Király May 24, 2023

Outreach is becoming a more and more prominent part of the work of researchers. With public funding many of us are expected to show in a creative way what we do with our funding, but it is not easy to step out from the << I will post on social media>> comfort zone. This week Elvira Mulyukova, in collaboration with Cedric Thieulot, is showing us how to create something extraordinary fro ...[Read More]

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Hydrological Sciences

International initiatives to solve the challenges to trace sediment and contaminant in river systems

Olivier Evrard and Sabine Kraushaar May 23, 2023

Soil and water resources that are essential to human and aquatic life are increasingly threatened by human activities and the impacts of land use and climate change. Sediments play hereby a key role, particularly fine sediments with sediment-associated pollutants, which can lead to a substantial degradation of water body quality, such as in rivers and reservoirs. Sediment tracing as a first step t ...[Read More]

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Natural Hazards

The 2023 Carnival disaster in São Paulo: an all time record for rainfall in Brazil

Paulo Hader May 22, 2023

In February 2023, Brazil experienced its largest rainfall event on record, which devastated the northern coast of the state of São Paulo. This event caused landslides, floods, and numerous fatalities, making it even more tragic than previous disasters in the region, which already have been elaborated on in another blog post. The situation highlights the urgent need for effective emergency manageme ...[Read More]

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Geodesy

Women in Geodesy: Sara Bruni

Öykü Koç, Rebekka Steffen and Andreas Kvas May 22, 2023

Are you ready to hear from another woman in geodesy? We pass the mic to our Outstanding Early Career Scientist Awardee of 2018, someone who is currently carrying out her scientific works outside of academia. We are not going to take that much of your time and leave the stage to her. Would you like to share your thoughts about what being a woman in science means to you? I enjoy being a scientist be ...[Read More]

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Nonlinear Processes in Geosciences

Unraveling the Meteorological Factors and Climate Change’s Role in Italy’s Devastating Floods

Davide Faranda May 20, 2023

Italy has recently been struck by a series of catastrophic floods that have claimed lives, displaced thousands of people, and caused extensive damage to infrastructure. These floods were triggered by an extraordinary amount of rainfall, equivalent to six months’ worth, occurring within few days. The culmination of three distinct meteorological events, with low-pressure systems over the Thyrr ...[Read More]

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Nonlinear Processes in Geosciences

NPG Paper of the Month: “A Range of Outcomes: The Combined Effects of Internal Variability and Anthropogenic Forcing on Regional Climate Trends over Europe”

Clara Deser May 19, 2023

The NPG paper of the month for February 2023 was awarded to “A Range of Outcomes: The Combined Effects of Internal Variability and Anthropogenic Forcing on Regional Climate Trends over Europe” by Clara Deser and Adam S. Phillips. How much will Europe warm in the next 50 years? Will precipitation increase or decrease? Are past climate trends unique or could alternate realities have exis ...[Read More]

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Geodesy

What would we like to see from future gravity missions? Help us to define the scientific requirements!

ESA's QSG4EMT Study Team, edited by Öykü Koç and Rebekka Steffen May 19, 2023

Are you interested in water storage, sea level, ice sheets, crust-mantle dynamics, or any other mass change signals? Please complete the following user requirement survey and help shape future satellite gravity missions Mass changes on and below the Earth’s surface, such as from water storage variations to groundwater use, glacier melt, sea level change, and earthquakes, among many others, c ...[Read More]

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Cryospheric Sciences

Did you know about Antarctic snow megadunes?

Giacomo Traversa May 19, 2023

Maps showing areas on East Antarctica that have megadunes made of snow and ice.

When we think of dunes our thoughts automatically go to deserts and sand. But on Earth, as well as on other celestial bodies of the solar system, dunes exist also in a completely different environment. I am talking about gigantic dunes consisting of snow. On Earth they are called megadunes and you can find them only in East Antarctica, where they extend for thousands of km. If you want to know mor ...[Read More]

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Geodynamics

Why plate tectonic reference frames are important?

Jonathon Leonard, Rachel O'Brien and edited by Gokul V.S. May 17, 2023

Have you ever pondered the significance of reference frames in the reconstruction of tectonic paleo positions? In this edition of News & Views, we feature Jonathon Leonard as he delves into this subject, aided by illustrations from Rachel O’Brien. In the 1600s, in an effort to show why we cannot feel the Earth orbiting the sun at speed, Galileo came up with a thought experiment. In his e ...[Read More]