The new study, published in the June issue of PNAS Nexus, examines a 40-meter long ice core from Mont Blanc’s Dôme du Goûter. Using radiocarbon dating techniques, the research team found that the glacier provides an intact record of aerosols and climate dating back at least 12,000 years. Aerosols are small droplets and particles in the air such as desert dust, sea salts, sulfur from volcanic eruptions, soot from forest fires, as well as pollutants and other emissions from human activities.
Earth is hotter than it has been in 125,000 years, scientists say, and Las Vegas continues to break temperature records. Planting and preserving the city’s street trees is one method that brings many benefits, from the cool air of their shade to their ability to store carbon. Now, a new study takes a deeper look at just how much trees can offer Sin City, as well as the water tradeoffs inherent in growing trees in a desert.
The question of whether Earth is alone in harboring life has captivated humanity for millennia. In recent years, scientists have turned to Earth-like planets in other solar systems that may show the most promise, but many revolve around stars that emit much stronger solar radiation than our own. Now, a new study offers evidence that life as we know it may be able to thrive on those Earth-like exoplanets.
A new study examined decades of atmospheric river storms across the West Coast to pinpoint the conditions that lead to catastrophic flooding. The research, published June 4 in the Journal of Hydrometeorology, analyzed more than 43,000 atmospheric river storms across 122 watersheds on the West Coast between 1980 and 2023.
The research used satellite imagery to identify where winter flooding occurs, which can improve flood risk awareness and inform how to best redirect floodwaters to replenish groundwater supplies.
DRI’s Rosemary Carroll, Research Professor of Hydrology, co-authored a new study that found spring runoff in mountains across the Western U.S. is much older than previously known. Using advanced dating techniques, the research discovered that melting mountain snowpacks first replenish groundwater reserves before filling springs several years later. This means that the water relied on by communities across the West takes over five years from snowflake to streamflow. The research has implications for water management and our understanding of the changing dynamics of water availability.
The comprehensive research examined air quality in Reno, Nevada during 106 wildfires to illuminate the atmospheric and public health impacts of smoke. The research, published in April’s issue of Environmental Science: Atmospheres, measured air quality in Reno, Nevada over a 19 month period between 2017 and 2020 to capture both smoky and clear days.
An examination of Rocky Mountain snow finds higher contamination levels of mercury and others metals in the northern part of the range, consistent with increased current and historical mining in the region. The study, published in the May issue of the journal Environmental Pollution, examined contamination levels for Mercury, Zinc, Cadmium and Antimony from nearly 50 sites in the Rocky Mountains.
A new study published in Nature Communications utilizes insights gleaned from DRI’s Mountain Rain or Snow project to evaluate why traditional weather forecasting struggles to identify the rain/snow transition line. The research was possible because thousands of community members across the U.S. contributed more than 40 thousand observations of the type of precipitation falling at their location.
While fires engulfed large swaths of southern California in early January, destroying more than 16,000 structures, taking at least 29 lives, and choking the air with smoke, a new study about weather whiplash was released. Co-authored by DRI’s Christine Albano, the research examined how a warming climate is creating an atmosphere more prone to extreme weather. Now, Albano and her co-authors have released a new report that applies the knowledge gained from January’s study to the recent fires, analyzing the broader climatic context that contributed to the unprecedented infernos.