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Earth Science

A pair of divers use bongo nets to collect marine snow in dark, blue water.
Photo Credit
J. Morin/ NOAA
Much of the organic carbon sinking into the deep ocean is carried by tiny organic particles known as marine snow.

A stormy ocean voyage yields insights on the global carbon cycle

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A forest sits atop an eroding bluff.
Photo Credit
Maksim Safaniuk via iStock
Anna Trugman researches how plants respond to climate change, while Gen Li studies erosion and weathering — the natural processes that break down rocks and transport sediment.

Two UCSB professors recognized for contributions to the Earth sciences
a black stone arrow point

Researchers find evidence of cosmic impact at classic Clovis archaeological sites
A young man places a small orange box of electronics near a bush on the seashore with
Photo Credit
Elena Zhukova
There’s a cacophony of acoustic signals below the range of human hearing, many quite intense, that you can pick up with the right “ears.”

Scientists tune in to the surf’s hidden signals
A turbid river flows down from the mountains through a mixed woodland. Gravel, cobbles, and boulders line the river channel. Clouds obscure the very peaks of the mountains above the trees.
Photo Credit
Sergey Kuznetsov via iStock
Rivers wash mountains to the sea. How quickly they do this has major implications for natural hazards and fundamental Earth science.

Years after an earthquake, rivers still carry the mountains downstream
artists rendering of fragmented comet approaching Earth

Destructive cosmic airbursts likely more common than previously believed
dead tree on salt island in the Dead Sea

Dead Sea’s salt giants offer rare glimpse into Earth’s geological past
Rivers running down a mountainous valley
Photo Credit
Jeff Prancevic
Streams like this one can run dry during periods of drought. This study provides new analyses to help predict when and where streams flow.

Predicting seasonal changes in river networks
artist rendition of asteroid hitting Earth's atmosphere

Researchers model airbursts, a common yet little-understood cosmic impact process
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UCSB, Community Environmental Council to hold Living with Fire Summit

Charting the course of rivers
Headshot of Herbert Kroemer
Photo Credit
Courtesy image
Herbert Kroemer

Library acquires papers of Nobel Laureate Herbert Kroemer
SEM image of shocked quartz
Photo Credit
Courtesy Image
Shocked quartz grains, with fissures filled with meltglass

Shocked quartz reveals evidence of historical cosmic airburst
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