I. Atmospheric Sciences
1. Characterizing Superwarm Periods in Earth’s History
DeepMIP Kickoff Meeting; Boulder, Colorado, 14–15 January 2016
2. Tackling the Paris Temperature Targets
The global temperature targets established in Paris in 2015 are ambitious; new research examines what it would take to achieve those targets.
II. Geology & Geophysics
1. Water Subsidies May Not Be Going to Those Who Need Them Most
A new study finds a widely used water tariff does not effectively deliver subsidies to intended beneficiaries in Nairobi, Kenya.
2. Bacteria Preserve Record of Earth's Magnetic Fields
Tiny yet stable magnetized particles created by microbes long ago could help scientists better determine the strength and orientation of ancient magnetic fields.
3. Preparing to Face the Future of Agriculture in the United States
Third Annual Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) Meeting; Venus, Florida, 22–26 February 2016
4. Mapping the Movement of Energy Under Japan
New research on the energy waves caused by earthquakes provides the most detailed map to date of the subduction zone beneath Japan.
5. Amoeba People Sing Quirky Tunes About Geoscience
A whimsical backstory identifies the musicians as aliens from the planet Crouton sent to Earth to transmit scientific information back home in song.
6. Tanzanian Volcanoes May Hoard Helium Ready for the Taking
Sweet spots of volcanic heat that are not too close to active eruptions may hold the world's richest reservoirs of the scientifically and medically important gas helium.
III.Hydrology, Cryosphere & Earth Surface
1. How Irrigation in Asia Affects Rainfall in Africa
Up to 40% of the total rainfall in arid parts of East Africa may be caused by water vapor from farming practices in South Asia.
IV.Ocean Sciences
1. A New Mechanism for Nitrogen Cycling in the Southern Ocean
A nitrite-oxidizing enzyme may work in reverse for some microbes in the Antarctic autumn.
V. Space Science & Space Physics
1. Tracking Ions at the Edge of the Atmosphere
The first results from a recently launched satellite hold promise for studying solar storms, the very top of Earth's ionosphere, and how the atmosphere is evolving.
VI. Science Policy & Funding
1. Science Groups Voice Concern for Academics in Turkey
International science and education organizations respond to reports of forced resignations of university deans and mass firings of teachers following last month's failed coup attempt.
VII.AGU news
1.SCIENTISTS OBSERVE IO’S ATMOSPHERIC COLLAPSE DURING ECLIPSE
WASHINGTON, DC — A team of scientists has documented atmospheric changes on Io, Jupiter’s volcanically active satellite, as the giant planet casts its shadow over the moon’s surface during daily eclipses.
VIII.AGU.Blogosphere
1. Sater Glacier, Alaska Not Retaining Snowcover
Sater Glacier is in the Okpilak River watershed of the Brooks Range, Alaska. It is named for John Sater an early geologist working in the Brooks Range and on the nearby McCall Glacier. Here we examine Landsat imagery from 1987-2016 to identify changes in the glacier. Matt Nolan, U. Alaska-Fairbanks, has provided links to the recent research and publications at McCall Glacier. These glacier have suffered increased mass loss since 1990 as a result of an increase in the equilibrium line altitude that has reduced accumulation area and is indicative of increased ablation (Delcourt al , 2008) as noted at Slender Glacier.
2. Thirty-third Annual North Cascade Glacier Climate Project Field Season Underway
From President Reagan to President Obama each August since 1984 I have headed to the North Cascade Range of Washington to measure the response of glaciers to climate change. Specifically we will measure the mass balance of nine glaciers, runoff from three glaciers and map the terminus change on 12 glaciers. The data is reported to the World Glacier Monitoring Service. Three glaciers that we have monitored annually have disappeared since 1984.
3. Glaciers in BAMS State of Climate 2015
Decrease in Glacier Mass Balance uses measurements from 1980-2014 of the average mass balance for a group of North Cascade, WA glaciers. Mass balance is the annual budget for the glaciers: total snow accumulation minus total snow ablation. Not only are mass balances consistently negative, they are also continually decreasing. Glaciers have been one of the key and most iconic examples of the impact of global warming.
