Land & water

According to 33 years of remote sensing data, productivity of U.S. grasslands is more sensitive to dryness of the atmosphere than precipitation, important information for understanding how ecosystems will respond to climate change.

Tourists flock to Point Lobos State Natural Reserve near Monterey, Calif., for its breathtaking coastal views and glimpses of the playful sea otters and other marine mammals that can be found among its waters. But the site has long attracted geologists for a very different reason.

As workers rush to repair the spillway at California’s Oroville Dam, Stanford researchers comment on how challenges like climate change and aging infrastructure heighten risks for California.

A new study finds transmission of West Nile virus is higher in drought years, but after large outbreaks acquired immunity limits the size of subsequent epidemics.

By using high-res images taken by the latest generation of compact satellites, Stanford scientists have developed a new capability for estimating crop yields from space. Measuring yields could improve productivity and eventually reduce hunger.

First year of data from SMAP satellite provides new insights for weather, agriculture, and climate.

China has introduced an unprecedented policy platform for stewarding its fisheries and other marine resources.

Reports co-authored by Stanford Earth scientist show concentrations of methane approaching an internationally recognized worst-case scenario and highlight opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and fossil fuel use.

Using remote sensing tools to uncover the environmental impacts of war, researchers introduce novel approaches for hard-to-reach areas.

New maps of the geologic forces contributing to earthquakes in Texas and Oklahoma could help reduce the likelihood of manmade temblors associated with wastewater injection.

The first large-scale map of rainfall declines revealed by signatures in ancient soil could help researchers better understand profound regional and global climate transformation.

A new 3-D printing technique developed at Stanford will help pave the way for studying delicate or hard-to-collect rock samples from afar, whether they be from a volcano on Earth or the surface of Mars.

Jenny Suckale shows us how the behavior of a melting glacier in the Antarctic doesn’t act like a melting ice cube, and why that matters.

A new method developed by Stanford Earth researchers uses training images to refine models of uncertainty about subsurface processes and structures.

Recent research by Stanford Earth scientists uses new techniques to shed light on the contentious history of California's iconic mountain range.

A new algorithm designed to find matching seismic signals in large earthquake databases could find previously missed microquakes.

The best way to learn science is to actually do it. Students in Stanford Earth's Wrigley Field Program in Hawaii spend the quarter measuring vegetation, coral reefs and volcanoes to understand the dynamics of one of the planet's most interesting ecosystems.