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Eggs boiling on an electric stove

Is it greener to use gas or electricity to heat your home and cook?

14 February 2023

An analysis of carbon emissions caused by gas and electric cooking and heating in 25 countries finds that the climate-friendly choice depends on where you are


https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/mineral-laden-water-emerging-hydrothermal-vent Mineral-laden water emerging from a hydrothermal vent on the Niua underwater volcano in the Lau Basin, southwest Pacific Ocean. As the water cools, minerals precipitate to form tower-like ?chimneys.? Image taken during 2016 cruise ?Virtual Vents.?

The mysterious underwater avalanches reshaping Earth

24 January 2023

Turbidity currents are cascades of sediment that tumble down Earth’s 9000 submarine canyons carrying carbon, plastics and pharmaceuticals into the deep sea. We are finally learning just how often these dramatic events occur.


Satellite view of volcanic ash cloud

2022 Tonga eruption means we may hit 1.5°C of global warming earlier

12 January 2023

The massive eruption of a Tongan volcano in January 2022 has made it more likely that we will exceed 1.5°C of global warming within the next five years, but the effect will disappear by 2035


Volcano crater

Climate cooling effect of volcanoes is bigger than we thought

10 January 2023

Analysis of sulphate particles in a Greenland ice core suggests we have underestimated the impact of volcanoes, and overestimated the contribution of anthropogenic sources


People walk in a flooded St Mark's Square

Venice may get a temporary respite from rising seas by 2035

6 December 2022

High winter sea levels in Venice are linked to warmer sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic Ocean, and cooling in that ocean over coming decades should therefore temporarily compensate for the city's sea level rise


The Slumgullion landslide

Landslides can be triggered by small changes in atmospheric pressure

16 November 2022

We knew earthquakes and heavy rain could initiate landslides, but now it seems alterations in atmospheric pressure can do it too if combined with certain conditions on the ground


Man lying on bed in front of fan

Greenhouse gas emissions are warming up nights faster than days

29 July 2022

Since 1951, the gap between night and day temperatures has closed by 0.41°C, and simulations show that the bulk of this warming is due to greenhouse gas emissions


Dallas

Circular cities experience more rain than square or triangular ones

11 May 2022

The shape of a city can influence the amount of rainfall it gets, because circular cities are better at mixing air fronts together


Survival of the friendliest? Why Homo sapiens outlived other humans

Survival of the friendliest? Why Homo sapiens outlived other humans

24 November 2021

We once shared the planet with at least seven other types of human. Ironically, our success may have been due to our deepest vulnerability: being dependent on others


Cheffois quarry

Forget pristine habitats - for biodiversity save abandoned quarries

4 September 2019

The best way to save Earth’s threatened wildlife could be to protect its most unglamorous and geologically diverse landscapes, from scrubland to exhausted mines


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