Science Made Simple: Earth’s Upper Atmosphere
The Earth’s atmosphere has four primary layers: the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere. These layers protect our planet by absorbing harmful radiation. Thermosphere 53–375 Miles…
Atmosphere
It’s Not Just Smokestacks to Worry About: Mountain Streams Emit a Surprising Amount of CO2
For the first time, an EPFL-led team of scientists has measured the total amount of CO2 emissions from mountain streams worldwide. This research builds on…
New NASA Study Shows That Hydrofluorocarbons Contribute to Ozone Depletion
According to new research from NASA, chemical coolants known as hydrofluorocarbons that are found in refrigerators and in home and automobile air conditioners, contribute to…
Low Atmospheric Oxygen Levels Delayed Rise of Animals
A new study reveals that oxygen levels during the “boring billion” period were only 0.1% of what they are today, providing the first evidence that…
Earth’s Atmosphere Contains an Unexpectedly Large Amount of Ozone-Depleting Compound
A newly published study from NASA shows that Earth’s atmosphere contains an unexpectedly large amount of Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), leaving researchers to believe that there…
Research Reveals New Man-Made Ozone-Depleting Gases in the Atmosphere
New research from scientists at the University of East Anglia reveals four new man-made gases in the atmosphere that are contributing to the destruction of…
Fluctuations in Weather Patterns Help Decrease the Antarctic Ozone Hole
Data from NASA and NOAA satellites show that the average area covered by the Antarctic ozone hole this year was the second smallest in the…
Xenon Gas Has Almost Vanished from the Atmosphere
Xenon, the second heaviest of the chemically inert noble gases, seems to have vanished from the Earth’s atmosphere; but German geoscientists think that they figured…
NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission to Study Portals in Earth’s Magnetic Field
Set to launch in 2014, NASA is planning the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission to study X-points or electron diffusion regions, places where the magnetic field of…
New Planet Weighing Technique Measures Non-Transiting Planet’s Mass
Using a new method that involves studying the carbon monoxide signature of a planet’s atmosphere, scientists were able to measure the exact mass of a…
Heat from Within the Planet Powers Saturn’s Jet Streams
Using automated cloud tracking software to analyze the movements and speeds of clouds seen in hundreds of Cassini images from 2005 through 2012, scientists have…
Solar Particles Infiltrate Earth’s Atmosphere Causing a GLE
In an attempt to better understand the sun and the space weather system that surrounds Earth, scientists are gathering information and looking at a unique…
High-Energy UV Radiation Triggers Methane on Mars
Scientists at the Max Planck Institute believe that they now know where the methane on Mars is originating from. In their published work, the scientists…
Magnetometers Ready for NASA’s MAVEN Mission
In preparation for the 2013 launch, scientists and engineers at NASA worked diligently to complete the magnetometers on schedule for the MAVEN mission. The magnetometers…
Ceramic Membranes May Reduce CO2 Emissions
Scientists believe “carbon-capture” technology may significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from energy sources such as coal and natural gas. They are evaluating a system that…
Hubble to Test Technique of Using the Moon as a Mirror
In an effort to test the technique of using the moon as a mirror, scientists will use Hubble to observe the transit of Venus across…
Schumann Resonance Could Help Reveal the Solar System’s Origins
In 2011 researchers realized that they could use NASA’s Vector Electric Field Instrument aboard the Air Force’s Communications/Navigation Outage Forecast System satellite to detect Schumann…
A Closer Look at Titan’s Chemical Production
Two new papers published in the Astrophysical Journal describe the process of hydrocarbon creation on Saturn’s moon Titan and predicted how long Titan’s chemical factory…