Eos https://eos.org Science News by AGU Sat, 11 Apr 2026 22:10:41 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://eos.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/cropped-AGU-Logo_50x50-80x80.png Eos https://eos.org 32 32 195464399 Artemis II Crew Splashes Down https://eos.org/research-and-developments/artemis-ii-crew-splashes-down https://eos.org/research-and-developments/artemis-ii-crew-splashes-down#respond Sat, 11 Apr 2026 00:12:58 +0000 https://eos.org/?p=246345 Four astronauts, floating in a spacecraft without gravity, smile and flash thumbs up for the camera.After a journey to and around the Moon, the Artemis II crew splashed back to Earth off the coast of San Diego at 5:07 p.m. local time (8:07 p.m. ET) on 10 April.]]> After a week-and-a-half journey to and around the Moon, the Artemis II crew splashed back to Earth off the coast of San Diego at 5:07 p.m. local time (8:07 p.m. ET) on 10 April. “From the pages of Jules Vernes to a modern day mission to the Moon, a new chapter in the exploration of our celestial neighbor is complete,” said a NASA announcer as the astronauts splashed down.

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]]> https://eos.org/research-and-developments/artemis-ii-crew-splashes-down/feed 0 The Artemis II crew – (from left) Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Pilot Victor Glover, and Commander Reid Wiseman – pause for a group photo inside the Orion spacecraft on their way home. Credit: <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/image-detail/amf-art002e013356/ " target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> NASA</a> 246345 Synergistic Integration of Flood Inundation Modeling Methods https://eos.org/editors-vox/synergistic-integration-of-flood-inundation-modeling-methods https://eos.org/editors-vox/synergistic-integration-of-flood-inundation-modeling-methods#respond Fri, 10 Apr 2026 17:16:22 +0000 https://eos.org/?p=246337 Aerial view of a flooded landscape and town.Recent flood modeling advances are trending into silos that compete rather than complement each other, hampering the opportunity for transformative progress toward protecting lives and communities.]]> Flood inundation models are tools that predict where water flows, how deep it gets, how fast it moves and how long it remains during a flood event. But despite recent advances in flood inundation models, some flood modeling paradigms are being used beyond their range of applicability rather than leveraging the strengths of different methods. A new article in Review of Geophysics explores the…

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]]> https://eos.org/editors-vox/synergistic-integration-of-flood-inundation-modeling-methods/feed 0 Northeast of Houston on May 4, 2024, in the aftermath of May 3 flooding, marking the third-highest crest on the East Fork San Jacinto River. Credit: Behzad Nazari 246337 Lessons from Linking Great Salt Lake Desiccation and Depression https://eos.org/science-updates/lessons-from-linking-great-salt-lake-desiccation-and-depression https://eos.org/science-updates/lessons-from-linking-great-salt-lake-desiccation-and-depression#respond Fri, 10 Apr 2026 14:01:12 +0000 https://eos.org/?p=246261 Dust clouds rise from a dry, flat expanse of lake bed in front of mountains and a partly cloudy sky in the background.By melding different expertise and merging disparate datasets, researchers revealed how lake bed dust may be affecting mental health outcomes across Utah.]]> The Great Salt Lake is disappearing. Driven by decades of water diversions for agriculture, development, and mining, as well as by the warming climate, Utah’s famed lake has lost roughly 73% of its volume since 1850, exposing more than 54% of the lake bed. The ecological and economic consequences of this decline are well documented, with the latter estimated at more than $2 billion in annual…

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]]> https://eos.org/science-updates/lessons-from-linking-great-salt-lake-desiccation-and-depression/feed 0 Dust kicks up from the dried bed of Farmington Bay in the Great Salt Lake on 9 July 2025. Credit: Photo by James Roh for the Washington Post via Getty Images 246261 Machine Learning Could Enhance Earth System Modeling https://eos.org/editor-highlights/machine-learning-could-enhance-earth-system-modeling https://eos.org/editor-highlights/machine-learning-could-enhance-earth-system-modeling#respond Fri, 10 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://eos.org/?p=246185 Dark storm clouds looming over a road and crop fields.Based on tests of a machine learning-based (ML) hybrid model, combining ML with established physics-based frameworks represents a promising path toward developing ML-based Earth system models. ]]> Machine learning (ML)-based models hold great potential to enhance and perhaps transform simulations of the Earth’s weather and climate across the range from synoptic to seasonal to annual to multi-decadal time scales. However, ML-based models should also produce results consistent with the physical laws of the Earth system. While ML-based models have been tested for weather forecasting…

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]]> https://eos.org/editor-highlights/machine-learning-could-enhance-earth-system-modeling/feed 0 Credit: Dave Hoefler, <a href=" https://unsplash.com/photos/green-grass-field-under-gray-clouds-IRHNxX5y_hg" target="_blank">Unsplash</a> 246185 Fatal landslides in March 2026 https://eos.org/thelandslideblog/fatal-landslides-in-march-2026 https://eos.org/thelandslideblog/fatal-landslides-in-march-2026#respond Fri, 10 Apr 2026 10:29:09 +0000 https://eos.org/?p=246321 Google Earth image of the site of the 8 March 2026 garbage landslide at the Bantar Gebang Integrated Waste Processing Site in Bekasi, Indonesia.In March 2026 I recorded 61 fatal landslides causing 520 fatalities, the highest March total on record. This is my regular update for the number of fatal global landslides, focusing on March 2026. AAs usual, this data has been collected in line with the methodology described in Froude and Petley (2018) and in Petley (2012). References are listed […]]]> In March 2026 I recorded 61 fatal landslides causing 520 fatalities, the highest March total on record. This is my regular update for the number of fatal global landslides, focusing on March 2026. AAs usual, this data has been collected in line with the methodology described in Froude and Petley (2018) and in Petley (2012). References are listed below – please cite these articles if…

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]]> https://eos.org/thelandslideblog/fatal-landslides-in-march-2026/feed 0 Google Earth image of the site of the 8 March 2026 garbage landslide at the Bantar Gebang Integrated Waste Processing Site in Bekasi, Indonesia. 246321 Alaska’s Wildfires Heat the Planet, but Canada’s Cool It https://eos.org/articles/alaskas-wildfires-heat-the-planet-but-canadas-cool-it https://eos.org/articles/alaskas-wildfires-heat-the-planet-but-canadas-cool-it#respond Thu, 09 Apr 2026 12:37:40 +0000 https://eos.org/?p=246212 A huge, still-smoldering burn scar dominates an aerial image of a forest, with green forest still visible at right.Using 2 decades of satellite data, researchers learned that wildfires in North America don’t follow the same script: In western Canada, snow reflectivity drives a cooling effect, whereas in Alaska, permafrost burning leads to net warming.]]> When it comes to wildfires, the story may seem straightforward: As forests burn, they release greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and methane that warm the planet. But in the far northern parts of North America, wildfires don’t always follow the same script. In a new study published in Nature Geoscience, researchers found that forest fires in Alaska tend to have a warming…

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]]> https://eos.org/articles/alaskas-wildfires-heat-the-planet-but-canadas-cool-it/feed 0 New research indicates that the climate-warming potential of forest fires, like the Moose Creek Fire that blazed through Denali National Park in 2015, above, must include carbon emissions from thawing permafrost as well as burning biomass. Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/alaskanps/19900697695/in/album-72157681264144315" target="_blank">NPS, Yasunori Matsui/Flickr</a>, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/" target="_blank">Public Domain</a> 246212 Resolved Storm-Environment Interactions: Linking Local to Global Scales https://eos.org/editor-highlights/resolved-storm-environment-interactions-linking-local-to-global-scales https://eos.org/editor-highlights/resolved-storm-environment-interactions-linking-local-to-global-scales#respond Thu, 09 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://eos.org/?p=246140 Photo of a lightning bolt.Kilometer-scale global climate models offer unprecedented possibilities to simulate thunderstorms and analyze how they interact with their environment across many scales, shaping the climate state.]]> Thunderstorms play a central role in tropical weather as they do not only produce local, extreme rainfall, but also interact with their environment. These interactions, from local to large-scale, can strongly influence both the mean climate and its variability. A new generation of kilometer-scale Global Storm-Resolving Models (GSRMs) is expected to represent these multi-scale processes more…

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]]> https://eos.org/editor-highlights/resolved-storm-environment-interactions-linking-local-to-global-scales/feed 0 Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/noaaphotolib/27661834650/in/photolist-J9o8HC-jd97Pz-fJJSc3-xHqeAa-vRaggC-jddm1Y-jdbjWL-FQRfUE-9uxgan-jdaEez-jd96ge-jdaA5T-jdbpkL-jddnAw-jdaE9V-8RMDnk-jdaEfg-jddqA9-fEZTLE-jdaAPZ-jdbnij-jd99EP-jdaAbe-jd99rT-jdbmMu-jdbmQf-jd97i4-jddmVy-jddouf-jdaBZV-jd97Yc-jddmXC-jdbp4J-jd98Kn-jdbntu-jddqkQ-jddnTf-jdbm1j-jdaArV-jddq5Q-jddqu7-jddpAU-jdaCgr-jdaCKx-fJJSeW-HD5Tqm-8S5aMi-fJskii-8Qvk81-9grmLu" target="_blank"> NOAA</a> 246140 Distant Cousins? How Field Work on Earth Could Help Us to Better Understand Titan https://eos.org/editors-vox/distant-cousins-how-field-work-on-earth-could-help-us-to-better-understand-titan https://eos.org/editors-vox/distant-cousins-how-field-work-on-earth-could-help-us-to-better-understand-titan#respond Thu, 09 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://eos.org/?p=246287 Six different sides of Titan.What do Saturn’s moon Titan and the Earth have in common? Quite a lot as it turns out, from hydrocarbon deposits to polar clouds, lakes and rivers, craters and canyons, and more.]]> While Saturn has 274 confirmed moons in its orbit, its largest moon, Titan, is of particular interest to researchers due to its similarities to Earth. A new article in Reviews of Geophysics explores the geophysical parallels between Earth and Titan, and how scientists could use field work on Earth to learn more about both worlds. Here, we asked the lead author to give an overview of Titan…

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]]> https://eos.org/editors-vox/distant-cousins-how-field-work-on-earth-could-help-us-to-better-understand-titan/feed 0 Titan as seen by the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) instrument on the Cassini spacecraft. These false-color images of different sides of the moon were composited from over 13 years of observations and show dark dune fields, bright icy highlands and several large circular impact craters Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Nantes/University of Arizona 246287 Curiosity Stumbles Upon Evidence of Ancient Martian Winds https://eos.org/research-and-developments/curiosity-stumbles-upon-evidence-of-ancient-martian-winds https://eos.org/research-and-developments/curiosity-stumbles-upon-evidence-of-ancient-martian-winds#respond Wed, 08 Apr 2026 14:50:02 +0000 https://eos.org/?p=246241 An image, taken from the surface of Mars, shows rocks of various sizes. Many are marked with a ripple pattern.Researchers have found evidence of a sandstorm on Mars that occurred about 3.6 billion years ago.]]> Researchers have found evidence of a sandstorm on Mars that occurred about 3.6 billion years ago, marking the first time a sandstorm has been recognized in the Martian stratigraphic record. They published their findings in Geology. It’s not that scientists didn’t know that wind once blew on Mars. It does so now, and features on the planet’s surface, like dry riverbeds…

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]]> https://eos.org/research-and-developments/curiosity-stumbles-upon-evidence-of-ancient-martian-winds/feed 0 These climbing ripple strata on the Martian surface provide direct evidence of a sandstorm on the planet, about 3.6 billion years ago. Credit: <a href="https://www.geosociety.org/GSA/News/pr/2026/GSA_News_Release_26-12.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS </a> 246241 Asteroid Hosts All Ingredients for DNA and RNA https://eos.org/articles/asteroid-hosts-all-ingredients-for-dna-and-rna https://eos.org/articles/asteroid-hosts-all-ingredients-for-dna-and-rna#respond Wed, 08 Apr 2026 12:44:33 +0000 https://eos.org/?p=246180 The dusty, dark gray surface of asteroid Ryugu is scattered with boulders and a few craters.Samples collected from asteroid Ryugu contain the four genetic “letters” of DNA, reinforcing the hypothesis that the chemical origins of life were present when the solar system began.]]> The basic ingredients for life as we know it are common in the cosmos. Scientists are still learning which of those ingredients were present on primordial Earth, and how they combined to make life remains an unsolved mystery. However, many researchers now think many of the molecules necessary for life were already present in the nebula that grew into our solar system, which would mean the…

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]]> https://eos.org/articles/asteroid-hosts-all-ingredients-for-dna-and-rna/feed 0 The asteroid Ryugu is seen by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft from a distance of 6 kilometers. Credit: <a href="https://www.isas.jaxa.jp/en/gallery/feature/ryugu/0027.html" target="_blank">JAXA, University of Tokyo, Kochi University, Rikkyo University, Nagoya University, Chiba Institute of Technology, Meiji University, University of Aizu, AIST</a> 246180 An Ancient Landscape Beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet https://eos.org/editor-highlights/an-ancient-landscape-beneath-the-east-antarctic-ice-sheet https://eos.org/editor-highlights/an-ancient-landscape-beneath-the-east-antarctic-ice-sheet#respond Wed, 08 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://eos.org/?p=246135 Map from the study.Geophysical observations of the subglacial topography of Coats Land reveal a landscape formed by tectonics and fluvial erosion that influenced the formation of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet.]]> Earth’s ice sheets are changing rapidly in response to anthropogenic climate change, and these changes are modulated by their basal topography. Visualizing the landscape that lies beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet not only allows glaciologists to improve model projections of future ice sheet change, but also provides a glimpse of a landscape hidden beneath ice. Paxman et al. [2026] used…

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]]> https://eos.org/editor-highlights/an-ancient-landscape-beneath-the-east-antarctic-ice-sheet/feed 0 Magnetic anomaly map of the subglacial topography of Coats Land beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, showing variations in the Earth’s magnetic field. The boundaries between high (red) and low (blue) values indicate steep geological surfaces, such as major fault systems. Credit: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JF008590" target="_blank">Paxman et al. [2026]</a>, Figure 1d 246135 Raknehaugen in Norway: an Iron Age memorial to a landslide https://eos.org/thelandslideblog/raknehaugen-in-norway-an-iron-age-memorial-to-a-landslide https://eos.org/thelandslideblog/raknehaugen-in-norway-an-iron-age-memorial-to-a-landslide#respond Wed, 08 Apr 2026 10:25:45 +0000 https://eos.org/?p=246231 Google Earth image of the site of Raknehaugen.An Iron Age burial mound in Norway has been reinterpreted as being a memorial for a catastrophic landslide during a period of climatic instability. There is a very interesting article (Gustavsen 2026) in the European Journal of Archaeology that re-examines an Iron Age mound known as Raknehaugen (Rakni’s Mound) in Norway. This mound has, until […]]]> An Iron Age burial mound in Norway has been reinterpreted as being a memorial for a catastrophic landslide during a period of climatic instability. There is a very interesting article (Gustavsen 2026) in the European Journal of Archaeology that re-examines an Iron Age mound known as Raknehaugen (Rakni’s Mound) in Norway. This mound has, until now, been interpreted as being the burial…

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]]> https://eos.org/thelandslideblog/raknehaugen-in-norway-an-iron-age-memorial-to-a-landslide/feed 0 Google Earth image of the site of Raknehaugen. 246231 A Peculiar Polymer Paired with Sunlight Could Remove PFAS https://eos.org/articles/a-peculiar-polymer-paired-with-sunlight-could-remove-pfas https://eos.org/articles/a-peculiar-polymer-paired-with-sunlight-could-remove-pfas#respond Tue, 07 Apr 2026 13:01:02 +0000 https://eos.org/?p=246102 Yellow light shines through a layer of clouds onto the ocean below. A volcano is visible, in silhouette, in the distance.A new photocatalyst might help take the “forever” out of “forever chemicals” present in water.]]> Because they are used in everything from cosmetics to dental floss to nonstick pans, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are frustratingly abundant in our environment, including in our food, rain, and drinking water. They’re persistent, too, earning their nickname “forever chemicals,” and have been linked to health effects ranging from cancers to liver toxicity to reduced fertility.

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]]> https://eos.org/articles/a-peculiar-polymer-paired-with-sunlight-could-remove-pfas/feed 0 New research suggests that sunlight, when combined with a photocatalyst and a specialized polymer, could be used to remove “forever chemicals” from drinking water. Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/rikpiks/14328505174/" target="_blank">Richard Rydge/Flickr</a>, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/legalcode.en" target="_blank">CC BY-NC-ND 2.0</a> 246102 Taming the Seismicity Tsunami with a Scalable Bayesian Framework https://eos.org/editor-highlights/taming-the-seismicity-tsunami-with-a-scalable-bayesian-framework https://eos.org/editor-highlights/taming-the-seismicity-tsunami-with-a-scalable-bayesian-framework#respond Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://eos.org/?p=246119 By combining the power of artificial intelligence with advanced physics simulations, a new framework called “SPIDER” allows us to map seismic activity with unprecedented clarity.]]> Machine learning allows us to detect millions of tiny earthquakes, but our current tools struggle to process this “data tsunami” with high precision. While a popularized mathematical approach called “Bayesian inference” can tell us exactly how reliable an earthquake’s location is, it is usually too slow to handle such massive amounts of information. This is especially true for “double-difference”…

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]]> https://eos.org/editor-highlights/taming-the-seismicity-tsunami-with-a-scalable-bayesian-framework/feed 0 These images show where earthquakes happened during the Noto Peninsula swarm in Japan. Maps (a) and (c) use a standard existing method (GrowClust), while maps (b) and (d) show the results from the new tool, SPIDER. The side-view (cross-section) only displays earthquakes that occurred within 2.5 kilometers (about 1.5 miles) of the purple line on the map. Credit: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JB032769" target="_blank">Ross et al. [2026]</a>, Figure 6 246119 Oceans Are Absorbing the Earth’s Excess Energy. That’s Bad News for Food Systems. https://eos.org/articles/oceans-are-absorbing-the-earths-excess-energy-thats-bad-news-for-food-systems https://eos.org/articles/oceans-are-absorbing-the-earths-excess-energy-thats-bad-news-for-food-systems#respond Mon, 06 Apr 2026 12:42:58 +0000 https://eos.org/?p=246065 Lead remnants found in household dustAs the planet traps more energy than it releases, the pathways for global food production are being upended.]]> Every year, the World Meteorological Organization, or WMO, tracks a set of key climate indicators—including the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the Earth’s temperature—to assess how global warming is progressing. In their latest report, released last Sunday, the authors decided to include a new measure: the Earth’s energy imbalance. “Climate change is often discussed in…

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]]> https://eos.org/articles/oceans-are-absorbing-the-earths-excess-energy-thats-bad-news-for-food-systems/feed 0 Oceans (including the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic, above) absorb about 91% of the excess energy hanging out in the Earth’s climate these days. Credit: <a href="https://oceandata.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/634/" target="_blank">NASA</a> 246065