American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting Archives - State of the Planet

American Geophysical Union 2020: Key Events From the Earth Institute

A guide to key talks and other events at the Dec. 1-17 virtual American Geophysical Union meeting.

by |December 1, 2020
maps showing current continents and two potential supercontinents

What Will the Climate Be Like When Earth’s Next Supercontinent Forms?

In roughly 200 million years, the continents will once again unite into a supercontinent. A new study explores how the next Pangea could affect the global climate.

by |December 1, 2020
dinosaur footprints and sailing stone track

Sailing Stone Track Discovered ‘Hiding in Plain Sight’ in Dinosaur Fossil

The “walking rock” track suggests that a massive volcanic winter may have frozen the tropics during the dawn of the dinosaur age.

by |December 9, 2019

American Geophysical Union 2019: Key Events From the Earth Institute

A chronological guide to key talks and other events at the Dec. 9-13 American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco.

by |December 2, 2019
agu panel

How Can We Use the National Climate Assessment to Prepare for Climate Change?

While the Trump administration is doing its best to ignore recent findings, an upcoming report will focus on helping cities, states, and businesses develop mitigation and adaptation strategies.

by |December 14, 2018
airplane from the NASA Atmospheric Tomography Mission

Africa: An Air Pollution Wildcard

Atmospheric scientists discover surprising levels and unexpected types of pollution that seem to be originating in Africa.

by |December 14, 2018
megadrought is causing lake mead's water levels to fall

Current Megadrought in the West Could Be One of the Worst in History

A 19-year drought in the American West is one of the most severe in the past 1200 years—and climate change is partially to blame, according to new research.

by |December 13, 2018

What’s Climate Doing to Guatemala’s Coffee?

Diego Pons discusses his recent work on exploring the relationships between several climatic variables and coffee productivity in a region of Guatemala.

by |December 13, 2018

Q&A: Climate Information for Food Systems

Scientists at the International Research Institute for Climate and Society are studying how much climate plays a role in the global food supply, identifying food system vulnerabilities in specific areas, using new kinds of climate information in agricultural modeling, and more.

by |December 12, 2018

Q&A: Using Farmers’ Perceptions as Data

Researchers at IRI have been developing index insurance, which would provide a safety net for farmers who experience devastating climate events such as droughts and floods that severely impact their crop yields.