Part 2 – the regional case In our previous post, we discussed global scale phenomena, showing how the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) constellation is the ultimate instrument for monitoring the Earth as a whole: tracking plate tectonics, defining the planet’s absolute size, and measuring variations of its gravity field. Essentially, the big questions of our constantly changi ...[Read More]
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Ocean Sciences
Beyond wind speed: what really controls air-sea gas exchange?
When we think about what drives air-sea gas exchange (such as CO2), wind usually gets all the credit. Strong winds stir the surface, enhance turbulence, and speed up gas transfer. But a new study in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics shows there is more to the story: CO2 exchange does not just follow the wind, it is also directly affected by surface conditions (Fig. 1). Using the eddy covariance te ...[Read More]
Hydrological Sciences
Low-cost equipment keeps urban waterway greenhouse gas emissions research afloat
Greenhouse gas emissions from urban waterways Every field scientist knows to never go to the field without ample supplies of duct tape and cable ties. We utilised this notion daily within the University of Bristol’s Watershed Carbon Lab team, as we undertook a 2-year long field campaign across the UK, Europe and China collecting data for our FLF funded ‘Urban Waterways’ project. Rivers are known t ...[Read More]
Geomorphology
A Free Tool That Maps Ancient Coastlines Like an Expert
by Julius Jara Muñoz, Professor of Engineering Geology at the University of Applied Sciences Biberach (Hochschule Biberach), Germany. Email: jara@hochschule-bc.de, website: https://www.hochschule-biberach.de/kontakt/julius-jara-munoz. “Reproducibility is a cornerstone of the scientific method, yet measuring ancient coastlines has long depended on expert judgment – until now”. Coastlines are ...[Read More]
Nonlinear Processes in Geosciences
ECS Spotlight: When “Day Zero Drought” Dries the Tap: How Drought is Reshaping Water Scarcity in the Anthropocene
Extreme events are becoming increasingly observable, intense, and interconnected. Drought, traditionally viewed as a regional and temporary phenomenon, is now undergoing a fundamental shift. We introduce the concept of “Day Zero Drought” to describe a threshold where water demand exceeds available supply under persistent drought conditions. This study shows that water scarcity is no longer confin ...[Read More]
Cryospheric Sciences
From Finland to Switzerland: A Campervan Journey for Snow Research
Traveling by land within Europe is relatively easy, and for me it’s also a conscious choice to push back against the fast pace of modern travel and the normalization of flying. I chose to drive a van instead of taking the train mainly because of my dog, and because finding pet-friendly accommodation during the high season was challenging. I’m visiting the Snow Hydrology research group in WSL Insti ...[Read More]
Ocean Sciences
New Unified Interface for Existing Ocean Carbonate Chemistry Data Products
Here is a great resource for anyone working on ocean carbon: Jiang et al. (2026) compiled a comprehensive synthesis of data products for ocean carbonate chemistry — all in one place for you! The paper provides a comprehensive synthesis of 68 existing ocean carbonate chemistry data products and data product sets, including: 🛳️ Cruise-based Compilations 📈 Time-series Datasets 🗂️ Gap-filled Observati ...[Read More]
Hydrological Sciences
Podcast Launch: History of Hydrology Interviews
“The number one piece of advice I would give anybody is to pick a problem and go after that problem. Ideally, you should pick a problem that requires a lifetime to solve.” Prof. Siva Sivapalan, episode 1 “A lot of greybeards telling us what we should be doing is absolutely the wrong way to do science. Science is anarchic, it’s bottom-up.” Prof. Mike Kirkby, episode 2 “I wr ...[Read More]
Geodynamics
At the Mountains of Madness: Lovecraft Applied for Geology (and Failed)
“I am forced into speech because men of science have refused to follow my advice without knowing why. It is altogether against my will that I tell my reasons for opposing this contemplated invasion of the antarctic—with its vast fossil-hunt and its wholesale boring and melting of the ancient ice-cap —and I am the more reluctant because my warning may be in vain.” The opening lines from At the Moun ...[Read More]
Climate: Past, Present & Future
Winds of change – How can we reconstruct the directions of winds in the past?
Invited guest from the EGU 2025 Outstanding Student and PhD candidate Presentation (OSPP) Award Wind is not easily visible. On historical time scales, its directions and velocities have been measured and recorded by instruments. To some degree, these parameters can also be simulated by climate models. But how about winds in the more distant past? And why would we want to know about them? In many p ...[Read More]