Geophysical Sciences

NASA’s Curiosity rover finds evidence for long-ago CO2 atmosphere on Mars NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity exploring Mount Sharp

NASA’s Curiosity rover finds evidence for long-ago CO2 atmosphere on Mars

NASA’s Curiosity rover discovered minerals that indicate Mars once had a thick carbon dioxide atmosphere capable of supporting liquid water.

Scientists track sea ice loss with earthquake sensors Jui-Chun Freya Chen and Owen Kirkham set up seismic monitoring equipment

Scientists track sea ice loss with earthquake sensors

UChicago study uses seismological “background noise” from worldwide monitoring network to study Arctic

Lunar rocks help scientists pinpoint when the moon crystallized An artist’s illustration of what the partly molten moon might have looked like.

Lunar rocks help scientists pinpoint when the moon crystallized

UChicago scientists study samples from Apollo missions, reveal new details about lunar history

UChicago scientist develops new paradigm to predict behavior of atmospheric rivers An atmospheric river carries moisture

UChicago scientist develops new paradigm to predict behavior of atmospheric rivers

Study by Asst. Prof. Da Yang provides powerful framework that sheds light on key processes driving extreme weather

UChicago offers new master’s program in environmental science Photo of people in a room with monitor showing radar and climate data

UChicago offers new master’s program in environmental science

New program provides foundation in environmental data science

Scientists lay out revolutionary method to warm Mars Image of planet Mars on a black background

Scientists lay out revolutionary method to warm Mars

UChicago, Northwestern study suggests new approach to warm Mars could be 5,000 times more efficient than previous proposals

Aboard a drilling rig in the Mediterranean, scientists seek to understand Earth’s past climates A group of people in jackets stand on a dock in front of a very large ship with a drilling rig in the center of it

Aboard a drilling rig in the Mediterranean, scientists seek to understand Earth’s past climates

David B. Rowley, geologist who overturned conventional wisdom about Earth’s surface evolution, 1954–2024 Black and white photo of a man with beard wearing glasses and looking at the camera in front of a wall of books

David B. Rowley, geologist who overturned conventional wisdom about Earth’s surface evolution, 1954–2024

David Ballantyne Rowley, Professor Emeritus in UChicago’s Department of the Geophysical Sciences, who specialized in paleoaltimetry, paleogeography, and tectonics, died May 30.

Scientists find evidence that meltwater is fracturing ice shelves in Antarctica Photo showing a snowy landscape with a bright blue pool of water in a depression in the snow

Scientists find evidence that meltwater is fracturing ice shelves in Antarctica

Increased temperatures from climate change cause ponds that weaken ice, expedition finds

A holistic look at Earth’s chemical cycling sheds light on how the planet stays habitable Photograph taken from space of the Earth with a thin orange shell just visible as the atmosphere; part of a spacecraft is visible to the side

A holistic look at Earth’s chemical cycling sheds light on how the planet stays habitable

University of Chicago-led study considers biogeochemical cycles from a bird’s-eye view