Search articles by title, topic or section.
Khabre desk
Recent reporting, analysis and explainers from the Earth Science desk.
science
A not-yet-peer-reviewed preprint analyses sediment layers in New Jersey and offshore as records of repeated disturbance after the Chicxulub impact. The authors suggest the deposits may capture environmental disruption and recovery over decades.
science
A model that represents broad grounding zones matched historical satellite data more closely than models that omit them. In some simulations, it projected as much as twice the glacier’s current sea-level contribution estimates.
science
Antarctic sea ice likely reached its annual maximum on September 14, 2026, covering 17.59 million square kilometres. That was the third-lowest maximum in the satellite record.
science
Arctic sea ice reached an estimated 4.6 million square kilometres on September 12, 2026, tying three other years for the 10th-lowest minimum in the satellite record. The long-term decline continues even as recent summer minimums have been relatively steady.
science
ESA says FLEX and Copernicus Sentinel-3C are scheduled to launch together on a Vega-C rocket on 15 September 2026. FLEX will measure faint plant fluorescence alongside data from a Sentinel-3 satellite to help characterise global vegetation.
science
A Nature study links broad, multidecadal changes in Earth’s day length to gravitational torque from the inner core. Its model-based reconstruction combines seismic estimates of inner-core rotation with core-flow models derived from changes in Earth’s magnetic field.
science
A Nature study models changes in Earth’s day length from 1964 to 2019 and finds that gravitational torque associated with the inner core can drive the broad multidecadal variations. In the models, electromagnetic or topographic torques at the core–mantle boundary tend to oppose that motion.
science
Fieldwork at Quebec’s Uhackatik structure found shatter cones that support an impact origin for a 25-kilometre feature. Rock samples indicate it likely formed about 390 million years ago.
science
Lake Powell fell below its previous record-low elevation in August 2026 and stood at 3,517.24 feet on September 10. NASA links the decline to scarce mountain snow and unusually warm conditions in the Upper Colorado Basin.
science
NASA-funded research reports that Incendiamoeba cascadensis can reproduce at 63°C in heated waters at California’s Lassen Volcanic National Park. The finding raises the known upper temperature limit for reproduction among eukaryotes.
science
Sea-surface temperatures in the central tropical Pacific were about 2.9°C above the current climate baseline in early September, and forecasts give the event more than a 90% chance of surpassing every El Niño recorded since the 1870s. The expected effects vary by region but include drought, crop losses, peatland fires, floods and coral bleaching.
science
New ground-penetrating radar and microgravity surveys suggest a corridor and possible chambers near Tutankhamun’s tomb in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. The findings revive the possibility that the site contains an earlier royal burial complex, potentially linked to Nefertiti, but direct inspection still requires approval.
science
A NASA-led team has proposed a satellite-tracking technique for measuring seasonal shifts in Earth’s center of mass. The study finds that the annual movement may be about half as large as estimates made eight years earlier.
science
Energy companies are exploring for naturally occurring hydrogen in nearly 30 countries, hoping to find a cheaper alternative to manufactured hydrogen. The scale and commercial value of these underground deposits remain open scientific questions.
science
A Nature correspondence says Nepal’s 26 August flash flood exposed a crucial gap between satellites’ ability to observe a glacial collapse and the systems needed to turn signals into timely action.
science
A Cornell-led collaboration reconstructed the magma pathways behind two major Mount Etna eruptions and found sharply different roles for carbon dioxide and water. One eruption paused underground for weeks before erupting, while another reached the surface in hours.
science
A strengthening El Niño has already disrupted Peru’s anchovy fishery and contributed to drought, flooding and crop losses across several regions. Forecasts suggest this eastern Pacific event could become unusually intense as it combines with ongoing global warming.
science
A study highlighted by Nature indicates that rivers deliver substantially more microplastics to the ocean than earlier observations suggested. Intense rainfall and poor waste management are linked to sharp pollution spikes.
science
A NASA-funded network of 10 ground sensors measured PM2.5 and black carbon across Addis Ababa from 2022 to 2025. The data show pollution patterns linked to traffic, fuel burning and holiday bonfires, creating a baseline for future satellite observations.
science
Analysis of seismic data from Tonga’s 2022 Hunga eruption found that distant sensors detected T-waves linked to the collapse that produced the eruption’s largest tsunami. Because these signals travel at least seven times faster than tsunamis, they could support earlier warnings after underwater volcanic eruptions.
science
NASA and European partners are using the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich and Sentinel-6B satellites to measure sea level, waves and atmospheric conditions during El Niño. The observations are being prepared for hurricane forecasting models that estimate how quickly storms may intensify.
science
NASA and international partners launched Sentinel-6B from California to continue high-precision measurements of Earth’s sea level. The satellite will support coastal flood predictions, marine weather forecasting and shipping safety.
science
NASA says Sentinel-6B and Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich are measuring ocean height, waves, marine winds and atmospheric properties during El Niño. The observations are intended to improve understanding of storm-fuelling ocean conditions and support hurricane-intensity forecasting, although a quantified forecasting improvement has not yet been reported.
science
A NASA sounding-rocket experiment used five detectors to sample a sporadic E layer simultaneously, revealing more complex internal structure in the ionosphere than single-point measurements could show.