Earth & Planetary Sciences
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Record of Antarctic ice sheet response to climate cycles found in rock samples
The effects of global climate cycles on Southern Ocean temperatures drove cycles of melting and freezing in the East Antarctic Ice Sheet every few thousand years, according to a new study.
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Missing carbon monoxide in planetary disks was hiding in the ice
In planetary disks, carbon monoxide is lurking in large chunks of ice, solving the decade-old question, ‘Where is the CO?’
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Seismologist Emily Brodsky awarded Nemmers Prize in Earth Sciences
Professor Emily Brodsky has received the 2022 Nemmers Prize in Earth Sciences, awarded by Northwestern University for achievement and work of lasting significance in the field of Earth sciences.
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Methane could be the first detectable indication of life beyond Earth
A new study assesses the planetary context in which the detection of methane in an exoplanet’s atmosphere could be considered a compelling sign of life.
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Effects of ancient carbon releases suggest possible scenarios for future climate
New findings reveal a precursor event before the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, giving scientists a fresh perspective on future global climate scenarios.
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California Sea Grant funds graduate research fellows at UCSC
California Sea Grant has awarded funding to four UC Santa Cruz graduate students for marine science research projects that address the agency’s priority themes of resilient coastal communities and economies, sustainable fisheries, and healthy coastal ecosystems.
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A slow-motion section of the San Andreas Fault may not be so harmless after all
A study of rocks drilled from nearly 2 miles under the surface suggests that the central section of the San Andreas fault has hosted many major earthquakes, including some that could have been fairly recent.
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A surprising heat source is melting the Greenland Ice Sheet from the bottom up
Researchers have observed extremely high rates of melting at the bottom of the Greenland Ice Sheet, caused by huge quantities of meltwater descending from the surface to the base.
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Tilting of Earth’s crust governed the flow of ancient megafloods
Study provides a new perspective on Washington state’s Channeled Scablands, carved by the Missoula megafloods at the end of the last ice age.
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San Lorenzo River was transformed by early logging in the Santa Cruz Mountains
The San Lorenzo River cut a deep channel and abandoned its floodplain in the Felton area around the time of intensive clearcutting in the surrounding mountains, according to a study by UCSC researchers.
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Two UCSC professors elected 2021 AAAS Fellows
Biologist Suzanne Alonzo and Earth scientist James Zachos have been awarded the distinction of AAAS Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.