Geoscientific Methods

How can scientists see ice underground? Recent study reveals how!

Asmae Ourkiya February 14, 2025

This picture was by Patrick Klenk at an ASSESS-GPR site at the very end of one of their experiments where they monitor hydrologic processes with Ground-Penetrating Radar.

When it comes to peering beneath the Earth’s surface, geophysicists have an arsenal of high-tech tools at their disposal. But what happens when you need to track something as elusive as underground ice forming and melting in real time? Enter borehole Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR), the underground detective that helped Peter Jung and his colleagues image frozen subsurface volumes in an experimenta ...[Read More]

A 12-meter sediment core reveals secrets of the Arctic’s past climate

Emeric Marie A. Babut du Marès January 24, 2025

Picture taken by Annie Spratt

Extracted from a depth of 2,500 meters, a giant 12-meter long marine sediment core from the Fram Strait, between Svalbard and Greenland, preserves a climate record spanning up to 400,000 years. Its sediment layers offer crucial insights into the Arctic’s past, helping Dr Jochen Knies and his research team answer two important question: Was the Arctic ever ice-free during past warm periods? W ...[Read More]

Here is how HydroFATE, a new high-resolution model, is predicting contaminant hotspots in global waterways

Asmae Ourkiya September 24, 2024

Figure from journal: estimated risk quotient for sulfamethoxazole (SMX) using HydroFATE in parts of Southeast Asia, with a focus on India and Pakistan. The risk quotient was calculated using Scenario 2 (see paper for details). The black dots represent the location of wastewater treatment plants in the database HydroWASTE. For visual clarity, only rivers exceeding a long-term average flow of 0.1 m3 s−1 are shown on the map. Credit: Macedo et al, 2024.

Ever wonder what happens to the chemicals and medications we use once they go down the drain? The fourth Sunday of September each year marks the World Rivers Day, and this post is dedicated to our global rivers and what humankind can do to preserve our waters. This is because pharmaceuticals and household products, even after being flushed or washed away, don’t just disappear. Many of these substa ...[Read More]

Tropical rainforest, the lungs of our planet, might be releasing more than just CO2!

Asmae Ourkiya July 19, 2024

Yasuni National Park is located in the Ecuadorian Amazon. It is considered one of the most biologically diverse spots on Earth. Yet, recent oil extractive activities, inside the reserve, are threatening this magnificent undisturbed rain forest.

When I was thirteen years old, my family and I almost lost our lives due to a carbon monoxide (CO) leak. I never stopped thinking about that incident even though it happened over twenty years ago. Not only because it was a premature realisation of my own mortality, but also because of how sneaky it was: We did not smell it, see it, hear it, or feel it. It was a subtle and slow killer that could ha ...[Read More]