Read the latest news about research conducted by investigators in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. Our faculty and students are continually advancing technology, creating solutions and expanding knowledge with new and innovative research.
Researchers develop affordable, less-intensive methane detection protocol
A new testing protocol that uses existing, affordable water chemistry tests can help scientists and regulators detect sites showing evidence of new methane gas leaks caused by oil and gas drilling, according to Penn State researchers.
Focusing computational power for more accurate, efficient weather forecasts
Penn State researchers are using artificial intelligence to pinpoint swift-changing weather areas to help meteorologists produce more accurate weather forecasts without wasting valuable computational power.
Mathematical geosciences conference focuses on food, energy, water nexus
More than 175 researchers, students and industry professionals from companies and universities around the world gathered at Penn State’s University Park campus Aug. 10-15 for the 20th Annual Conference of the International Association for Mathematical Geosciences.
Geosciences professor seeks to help communities better respond to climate risks
Worldwide climate change is intensifying natural disasters and leading to record-high costs in damages, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Penn State Professor of Geosciences Klaus Keller's research group seeks to bring together scientific research and communities to develop effective and affordable solutions.
Shift to more intense rains threatens historic Italian winery
Wine lovers may appreciate a dry white, but a lack of steady rainfall brought on by a changing climate is threatening a centuries old winemaking tradition in Italy, according to an international team of scientists.
Data assimilation method offers improved hurricane forecasting
A new approach developed at Penn State’s Center for Advanced Data Assimilation and Predictability Techniques can more accuraetely forecast the intensity and trajectory of Hurricane Harvey, according to researchers at Penn State and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.
Forest carbon still plentiful post-wildfire after century of fire exclusion
Forests in Yosemite National Park hold more carbon today than they did 120 years ago despite burning in a severe wildfire in 2013, according to a Penn State-led team of researchers.
Researchers seismically image Shale Hills water catchment
Penn State researchers take part in one of the largest studies ever conducted using more than 2,000 geophones. The group is seismically imaging the Shale Hills water catchment near the Penn State University Park campus.
Undergraduates map subsurface at Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory
The processes that happen in the first few feet of soil can have large impacts on agriculture and water resources. To better understand these processes, a team of graduating Penn State geoscience majors mapped the subsurface at a research site in Rothrock State Forest.
Careful analysis of volcano's plumbing system may give tips on pending eruptions
A volcano will not send out an official invitation when it’s ready to erupt, but a team of researchers suggest that scientists who listen and watch carefully may be able to pick up signs that an eruption is about to happen.