Read the latest news about research conducted by investigators in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. Our faculty and students are continually advancing technology, creating solutions and expanding knowledge with new and innovative research.
Ocean color satellites reveal glacier algae, insights for climate models
The brownish-grey algae that darken the Greenland ice sheet in summer cause the ice to melt faster, but only recently have scientists measured these blooms in the field, and only at few sites. To measure algal blooms across large regions and understand their effects on melting over time, scientists are now turning to space.
Deep learning artificial intelligence keeps an eye on volcano movements
Penn State researchers have used artificial intelligence (AI) to clear up noise in RADAR satellite data that can can help detect ground movements at volcanoes in near real time.
Climate impacts could put major fishery, food security at risk in East Africa
Climate change could put a major fishery — and the millions of people who depend on it — at risk in one of the world’s most vulnerable regions, according to researchers.
Ice melt projections may underestimate Antarctic contribution to sea level rise
Fluctuations in the weather can have a significant impact on melting Antarctic ice, and models that do not include this factor can underestimate the global impact of sea level rise, according to Penn State scientists.
Fossil carbon burned by asteroid impact contributed to dinosaur extinction
An asteroid impact 66 million years ago may have released trillions of pounds of partially burned fossil carbon into Earth’s upper atmosphere as a cloud of black soot, significantly contributing to the ensuing global darkness, cooling and mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs, according to an international team of scientists.