When most people imagine a coral reef, they picture clear, warm, sunny tropical waters. However, the coral communities of Hong Kong live in a vastly different setting. In the shadows of one of the most densely populated coastlines in the world, these corals persist under highly turbid conditions, receiving relatively little light over the year. …[Read More]
Latest posts
Geochemistry, Mineralogy, Petrology & Volcanology
Hydrothermal alteration in volcanic settings: Remaining research challenges
Why should you care about hydrothermal alteration in volcanic systems? When people think of volcanoes, they imagine large, devastating eruptions and lava streams gushing from the summit of an edifice. However, even when volcanoes are not visibly ‘active’, there can be more lurking below the surface. Hydrothermal alteration is one of the important and often …[Read More]
Geodynamics
Bridging the Gap: How Virtual Reality is Helping the Next Generation of Geoscientists
Deciphering Earth’s geological history is no easy feat. For undergraduate students beginning their journey in geology, identifying a rock and drawing connections with relevant geodynamic processes occurring over millions of years can be a challenge. In this week’s blog post, Phillip Ruscia explains how virtual reality (VR) and the High Immersion Virtual Experiences (HIVE) research …[Read More]
Geomorphology
Great Names in Geomorphology A–Z: Ralph Bagnold
Ralph Alger Bagnold (3 April 1896 – 28 May 1990) was a British engineer, geomorphologist, desert explorer, and soldier. His work fundamentally changed our understanding of sediment transport. His pioneering studies of wind-blown sand and desert dunes established a quantitative, physics-based approach to aeolian geomorphology. Bagnold’s scientific career was closely connected with his fascination with …[Read More]
Natural Hazards
El Niño shouldn’t stay in the classroom: Why everyone should understand one of Earth’s most influential climate patterns
Floods in one region. Droughts in another. Wildfires intensifying across already dry landscapes, while elsewhere intense rainfall triggers landslides and infrastructure disruption. At first glance, these hazard events may seem entirely unrelated. After all, what could a flood on one side of the world possibly have to do with a drought on the other? Yet …[Read More]
GeoLog
Climate of the Past at 20: Celebrate Open and Collaborative Paleoclimate Science With Our Webinars!
In 2025, Climate of the Past celebrated its 20th anniversary. Over the past two decades, the journal has become a leading open-access publication in paleoclimatology. It provides a platform for research into how the Earth’s climate has changed over time, and how these changes can inform our understanding of the current climate system. To celebrate …[Read More]
Climate: Past, Present & Future
Challenges in accessibility and code quality of the climate models that underpin our understanding of climate change
Climate models help us understand how the climate system works, project future climate change, and provide evidence that supports international assessments such as exposed on the IPCC. At this point, there is a fundamental question that is rarely discussed and solved: Can we access and reproduce the climate models used throughout the history of the …[Read More]
Cryospheric Sciences
Will Antarctic ice shelves embark on their last journey soon?
Ice shelves, the floating margins of the Antarctic ice sheet, play an important role in the estimation of future sea-level rise. By their presence, they act as a brake on the flow from the grounded ice sheet to the ocean and therefore modulate how much of this ice is added to the ocean. As the …[Read More]
Atmospheric Sciences
Methane in India: Why precise measurements and cutting-edge technology matter for climate action
The looming El Niño is likely to hit hard this year, bringing bracing moments to the already warming world. Extreme weather events are no longer just anomalies; they have become far too common in this new reality. It’s clear that our environment is under unprecedented stress. Experts warn of the costs of inaction: between 1995 …[Read More]
Geodynamics
The Hidden Topography of the Deep Earth
Travel across the globe and you will see landscapes change along the way. But what if the same were true inside Earth? What if the landscapes we see on the surface also exist deep within? In this week’s Geodynamics 101 post, Ankit Barik, Assistant Research Scientist at Johns Hopkins University, explores the hidden topography deep inside …[Read More]