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Editor's picks: Top 10 stories of 2018
From revelations about the hidden messages in burbling lakes of lava to the staggering costs of runaway climate change, these 10 stories shed light on our planet and how we're changing it. They include our editor's picks and some our best-read stories for the year.
Ecologist finds optimism in Alaskan forests
In her new book, Lauren Oakes explores a journey of loss, adaptation and resilience to climate change.
What a sinking island can tell us about sea-level change and earthquakes
A new analysis of marine fossils and seismic data offers keys to better modeling of global sea levels and earthquake risk in Southern California – plus the last word in a century-long debate over the motion of Catalina Island.
A path to affordable, effective conservation
A new study supports the long-debated idea that all species – even highly mobile animals – are clustered together in geographically unique areas, and opens a path to better protection of little-known species.
Scientists find missing piece in glacier melt predictions
A new method for observing water within ice has revealed stored meltwater that may explain the complex flow behavior of some Greenland glaciers, an important component for predicting sea-level rise in a changing climate.
After the Big One: Understanding aftershock risk
Geophysicist Gregory Beroza discusses the culprits behind destructive aftershocks and why scientists are harnessing artificial intelligence to gain new insights into earthquake risks.
Cash, carbon, crude: How to make oil fields bury emissions
A new analysis looks at what it would take for oil companies to start pumping millions of tons of carbon dioxide into their wells to boost crude production – and what it would mean for the climate.
Finding the pulse of the polar vortex
A new analysis of how air moves between two layers of Earth’s atmosphere reveals a deep system that could enable long-term weather forecasts and better climate models.
Learning through sound
The audible world contains vast amounts of information about the world around us. Scholars from across Stanford are exploring this invisible landscape as a research tool and as a way of understanding each other.
Summer reading: Illuminating our relationship with the planet
Faculty at Stanford's School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences recommend these 31 books for your summer reading.
Beyond lava and ash: What makes volcanoes dangerous?
Recent eruptions offer reminders that lava, ash and size don’t fully explain how volcanoes become deadly. Geologists Gail Mahood and Donald Lowe describe some of the science and mysteries behind volcanic hazards.
Study casts doubt on the predictive value of earthquake foreshocks
Do tiny underground tremors provide clues that a big earthquake is coming? A new study suggests foreshocks are just like other small quakes, not helpful warning signs as previously thought.
Geothermal at the foot of Kilauea
Geothermal engineer Roland Horne discusses geothermal energy in the face of natural hazards and a way to tap the earth’s heat far from volcanoes in the future.
Understanding Kilauea: A different flavor of volcano
Geophysicist and volcanologist Paul Segall describes Hawaii's most active volcano and the science behind the latest eruptions.
Tiny Diamond Anvils Trigger Chemical Reactions
Experiments with 'molecular anvils' mark an important advance for mechanochemistry, which has the potential to make chemistry greener and more precise
Extinct Lakes of the American West
Extinct lake landforms provide clues of climate change over millions of years and inform our understanding of rainfall patterns and water management in the arid American West.
New Study Reveals Strong El Niño Events Cause Large Changes in Antarctic Ice Shelves
Matthew Siegfried, a postdoctoral researcher working with Dustin Schroeder in the Stanford Radio Glaciology Group, co-authored a study showing oscillations of water temperature in the tropical Pacific Ocean can induce rapid melting of Antarctic ice shelves.
Scientists Probe Water Inside Leaves via Satellite
Earth System Science professor Alexandra Konings and postdoctoral researcher Mostafa Momen help improve satellite-based analysis of vegetation optical depth, a critical indicator for regional and global climate.
Vintage film provides Stanford scientists new insights about Antarctica
Applying modern film scanning technology and machine learning to a rare trove of historical airborne radar measurements could provide new insights about how Antarctica’s ice sheets will change in a warming world.