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Games are a popular way for people to spend their spare time, but they can also provide useful tools to communicate and teach geoscience. The SeriousGeoGames Lab has engaged thousands with geosciences through the Earth Arcade and virtual reality gaming.
Due to their intense moisture transport, atmospheric rivers are associated with hydrological hazards such as extreme rainfall and flooding. This Review discusses how atmospheric-river characteristics and impacts may change with warming, synthesizing physical theory, observations and modelling.
Though lessons learned from Earth are frequently applied to other planets, there is much to learn about our own planet from the Solar System and beyond. This Perspective highlights examples from geological and atmospheric sciences in which other planetary bodies have acted as analogues, experiments and archives for the Earth sciences.
Geoscience is increasingly transdisciplinary, requiring researchers from many different scientific backgrounds to work together. Jayme Feyhl-Buska, a biologist pursuing a doctoral degree in an Earth Science department, highlights lessons that she learned on the cusp of the two fields, and urges collaborators to convey lines of thinking and define terminology upfront.
Deep-ocean polymetallic nodules contain an enormous tonnage of critical metals, which are vital natural resources for green-energy technologies and vehicles. This Review highlights the formation processes of these nodules and outlines the advantages and disadvantages for this developing industry moving forward.
Due to lack of infrastructure and capital to manage waste properly, developing regions face significant challenges from plastic waste accumulation. The Trash-to-Tank program enables communities to locally convert post-consumer use plastic to plastic-derived fuel oil, providing environmental and economic benefits.
There are thousands of potential students desperate to learn behind bars, but few resources for scientific education. The Think Like A Scientist programme offers prisoners a chance to learn geoscience.
Geology is gradually being withdrawn from the school curriculum in the UK, and risks losing its identify as a distinct subject. GeoBus provides workshops and support for Earth science education, inspiring teachers and pupils to engage with fundamental questions in geology.
River damming can harness hydropower, control flooding and store water, but can also alter biogeochemistry in reservoirs and downstream environments. In this Review, the impacts of dams on nutrient cycling and greenhouse production are discussed, emphasizing the need to consider biogeochemical cycling at all stages of dam lifespan.
Ethical dilemmas are regularly encountered by Earth and environmental scientists. Explicit training is required to allow the community to recognize such dilemmas, and to prevent and mitigate ethical issues as they arise.
Understanding the complex geologic history of West Antarctica provides insight into the formation of continental margins across Earth. In this Review, we detail the magmatism, continental growth and fragmentation of West Antarctica over the past 500 million years.
