August 13, 2020 – Sea-level rise due to climate change is poised to shift the way that rivers naturally chart their path to the shoreline. The nature of that change will depend on both the rate of sea-level rise and the sediment load carried by the river, according to new models by Caltech researchers and […]
California Institute of Technology
Posted inCalifornia
Natural Gas Leaks are Important Source of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Los Angeles
Aug. 13, 2019 – In discussions of anthropogenic climate change, carbon dioxide generally gets the spotlight, but it is not the only greenhouse gas spewed into the atmosphere by human activity, nor is it the most potent. Methane is another greenhouse gas that is increasing in Earth’s atmosphere because of humans. Methane is produced by […]
Posted inCalifornia
Scientists identify almost 2 million previously ‘hidden’ earthquakes
April 19, 2019 – Pouring through 10 years’ worth of Southern California seismic data with the scientific equivalent of a fine-tooth comb, Caltech seismologists have identified nearly two million previously unidentified tiny earthquakes that occurred between 2008 and 2017. Their efforts, published online by the journal Science on April 18, expand the earthquake catalog for […]
Posted inSci/Tech
High CO2 levels can destabilize marine layer clouds, triggering spike in global warming
Feb. 25, 2019 – At high enough atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations, Earth could reach a tipping point where marine stratus clouds become unstable and disappear, triggering a spike in global warming, according to a new modeling study. This event—which could raise surface temperatures by about 8 Kelvin (14 degrees Fahrenheit) globally—may occur at CO2 […]
Posted inCalifornia
Animation Based on Satellite Data Shows SoCal “Breathing” Water
August 14, 2018 – Using an unprecedented number of satellite radar images, geophysicists at Caltech have tracked how the ground in Southern California rises and falls as groundwater is pumped in and out of aquifers beneath the surface. Their findings are presented in a study that tracks deformation of the earth’s surface over an 18-year […]
Posted inSci/Tech
Testosterone makes men less likely to question their impulses
May 1, 2017 – Hotheaded, impulsive men who shoot first and ask questions later are a staple of Westerns and 1970s cop films, but new research shows there might be truth to the trope. A study conducted by researchers from Caltech, the Wharton School, Western University, and ZRT Laboratory tested the hypothesis that higher levels […]
Posted inSci/Tech
Curious Tilt of the Sun Traced to Undiscovered Planet — Planet Nine
Oct. 24, 2016 – Planet Nine—the undiscovered planet at the edge of the Solar System that was predicted by the work of Caltech’s Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown in January 2016—appears to be responsible for the unusual tilt of the sun, according to a new study. The large and distant planet may be adding a […]