News archives

Standing in front of his tent, Austin Carter endures a windstorm in the Allan Hills in 2019.

Probing Antarctica by Land, Sea, Air, and from Earth Orbit

Scripps Oceanography research agenda ranges from microscopic organisms to ancient ice and studying ice sheet mass loss

From left, UNAM researchers Miche Martini and Jose Duque examine dredged rocks with Scripps' Peter Lonsdale during 2012 cruise

Scientists Propose New Theory for How Continents Form

Rocks dredged from seafloor tell story of a dynamic Earth process

New research shows people, wildlife, and marine environment benefit when island-ocean connections are restored

A research and conservation collaboration highlights rewilding islands and breaking down artificial silos for big marine and terrestrial gains

Researchers collect a sediment core from a mangrove forest

Scientists Dig into Sediments for Clues on Carbon Storage

From San Diego to the Galapagos Islands and beyond, Scripps Oceanography researchers are revealing the mysteries of carbon sequestration in aquatic ecosystems

Scripps Student Spotlight: Benjamin Gruber

Geology and geochemistry PhD student researching rocks, how volcanoes form, and how continental crust is made on planets other than Earth

AGU 2022 Honors

Six Scripps Oceanography Researchers Awarded for Scientific Excellence

AGU’s 2022 awardees include Scripps’ Carlene Burton, Daniel Cayan, Catherine Constable, Wenyuan Fan, Gabi Laske, and Vashan Wright­

Surprise, Surprise: Subsurface Water On Mars Defies Expectations

Physics connects seismic data to properties of rocks and sediments

Big Sur experienced some of the most substantial cliff retreat rates observed by Scripps researchers

New High-Resolution Study on California Coastal Cliff Erosion Released

Website presents details on state’s continually changing coastline

ROV Jason samples 368°C black smoker fluids using titanium syringe-style samplers for analysis in the McDermott laboratory at Lehigh University. Image credit: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, National Deep Submergence Facility, remotely operated vehicle Jason team, National Science Foundation.

New Hydrothermal Field Discovered in East Pacific Ocean

Discovery by Scripps Oceanography geoscientist and colleagues demonstrates there are more hydrothermal vents in deep sea than thought

Scripps Oceanography graduate student Benni Birner, who led a study confirming that the amount of helium in the atmosphere is rising. Photo: Erik Jepsen/UC San Diego

Confirmed: Atmospheric Helium Levels Are Rising

A by-product released by use of fossil fuels has been increasing since 1974

Chloe Gustafson and mountaineer Meghan Seifert installing a magnetotelluric station in Antarctica. Photo: Kerry Key, Columbia University.

Groundwater Discovered in Sediments Buried Deep Under Antarctic Ice

Study proves value of electromagnetic techniques in a new polar environment

Plumes of Hot Material near Earth’s Core Grease Way for Moving Slabs of Earth

New study helps explain dynamics of plate tectonics

U.S. News Names UC San Diego Graduate Programs Among Top 10 in Nation

Geophysics program ranked sixth, geology 12th

Jeremy portrait in front of Scripps Pier

Scripps Student Spotlight: Jeremy Wing Ching Wong

PhD student researches the mechanisms behind earthquakes in order to understand their origins and effects

Antarctica Research

Scientists returning to expansive data collection in Antarctica

Scripps Oceanography research resumes on frozen continent after COVID-19 interruption

Jupiter's swirling clouds

Ocean Physics Explain Cyclones on Jupiter

Images from NASA satellite of polar cyclones on Jupiter allow scientists to study the forces that drive them

The La Palma eruption plume. Photo by James Day.

On the ground at the La Palma eruption

Scripps geologist James Day writes about returning to the volcanic island where he did research for his PhD

Munk Guyot, revealed by multibeam sonar surveys made in lawnmower-like swaths.

Seamount Named for Iconic Scripps Oceanographer Walter Munk

The new Munk Guyot southwest of Hawaii was mapped by research vessel Sally Ride in 2019

An underwater view of fish swimming in the submerged roots of a red mangrove forest.

Hidden Mangrove Forest in the Yucatan Peninsula Reveals Ancient Sea Levels

Researchers investigate an ancient coastal ecosystem found more than 120 miles from the nearest ocean, revealing sea level impacts from the last interglacial period

Scripps Oceanography graduate student Austin Carter, a member of geoscientist Sarah Aarons' lab, decontaminates ice sample from the Allan Hills area of Antarctica. Aarons' lab will analyze ancient dust collected during COLDEX. Photo: Erik Jepsen

Search for the World’s Oldest Ice to be Initiated

Scientists hope ice samples as much as five million years old can preview what society will face in coming century

Jesse Robinette

Scripps Student Spotlight: Jesse Robinett

An undergraduate student tracks low cloudiness along California’s coast

Panoramic view of Tel Tifdan, site where UC San Diego and Jordanian archaeologists excavated ceramic pottery shards dating to the Pottery Neolithic period. Photo: Tom Levy

How Earth’s Magnetic Field May Provide New Ways of Dating Archaeological Artifacts

Research leverages 20 years of excavations

Antarctic doline on after drainage.

Scientists Track Sudden Disappearance of Antarctic Ice Shelf Lake

Detailed observations enable better understanding of future ice shelf stability

Layer of ice on wooden surface. Photo: Marakit Atinat

Climate Colder on Land During Last Ice Age than Thought

Study uses dissolved gases in ancient groundwater as a thermometer for the past

California's Central Valley as seen from the International Space Station.

Scientists Map “Pulse” of Groundwater Flow through California’s Central Valley

Advances in remote sensing are providing a first glimpse of groundwater recharge in the San Joaquin Valley

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