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It is rare to find glaciers bounded on land by vertical ice cliffs. These ice cliffs respond with particular sensitivity to environmental changes. Research teams from Tyrol and Styria are investigating ice formations at a site in the far north of Greenland. The researchers intend to draw conclusions about the development of the Arctic climate based on the changes in the glacier walls.

As part of an international deep-sea expedition, a team of researchers under the co-leadership of Innsbruck geologist Michael Strasser took the deepest samples ever obtained from the seafloor at a depth of more than 8000 meters in the Japan Trench in 2021. Large amounts of dissolved carbon and enormous methane reservoirs were discovered in the seafloor, the formation of which is favored by the strong earthquake activity there.

During a research cruise, an international research team led by marine biologist Monika Bright of the University of Vienna discovered a new ecosystem in the deep sea. This is located beneath the surface of hydrothermal vents of a well-studied underwater volcano on the East Pacific Ridge off Central America.

By Falko Schoklitsch By changes in the wavelength of light pulses in fibre optic cables, researchers at TU Graz can measure where rockfalls, landslides, fires and earthquakes are taking place. Landslides and rockfalls are increasingly becoming a real threat to people and infrastructure in light of the changing climate and the associated changes in soil and rock structure.

Distribution in the Mesozoic from present-day Antarctica to Greenland Paleobotanist Mario Coiro of the Institute of Paleontology at the University of Vienna and colleagues at the University of Montpellier (France) have made an important breakthrough in understanding the origin and geographic distribution of cycads.

Mycoplankton plays an active role in the degradation of organic matter and the cycling of nutrients Fungi play a vital and previously neglected role in the complex tapestry of marine ecosystems, a study by Eva Breyer and Federico Baltar of the University of Vienna reveals. The results have now been published in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution.

A correct representation of turbulence in the atmosphere is crucial for accurate weather forecasts and climate projections. However, the theory behind this is not only very old, but also not very representative, since it only applies to flat terrain. Innsbruck meteorologist Ivana Stiperski has now extended the theory on turbulence that has been in use since the 1950s.

By Susanne Filzwieser The honeycomb patterns which are often found in salt deserts in Death Valley and Bolivia, among other places, look like something from another world. Researchers, including those from TU Graz, explain the origin of the mysterious patterns for the first time. Honeycomb patterns form in salt deserts all over the world, for example in the Badwater Basin of Death Valley in California or in the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia.

The interference of climate change with the planet's water cycle is a well established fact. New analyses suggest that in many places, runoff responds more sensitively than previously assumed. Climate change alters the global atmospheric circulation, which in turn alters precipitation and evaporation in large parts of the world and, in consequence, the amount of river water that can be used locally.

A team of geologists from the University of Innsbruck examined the sediments of Carinthian lakes for traces of past earthquakes. The results show that the earthquake of 1348 caused the strongest shaking in the Carinthian region since the end of the last cold period. Earthquakes with potential building damage are rare there, but can occur in temporal clusters .

New research method shows that the material likely comes from northern Italy The almost 11 cm high figurine from Willendorf is one of the most important examples of early art in Europe. It is made of a rock called "oolite" which is not found in or around Willendorf.

New evidence for the presence of Homo sapiens in western Europe more than 50,000 years ago An international team of researchers has revealed new evidence for the presence of Homo sapiens in western Europe more than 50,000 years ago. The results of a 30-year programme of research from a cave in the heart of the Rhône Valley of France show that the traditional story of the replacement of Neanderthals by modern humans was much longer and more complex than previously thought.

By Beate Mosing A physicist at TU Graz is developing a new method to make the processes in our atmosphere visible. If we think this through, it opens up new opportunities for environmental research - and perhaps even potential for counteracting climate change. The ozone layer in the Earth's stratosphere "swallows" rays and in this way protects humans and animals from radiation damage.

Study shows that microplastics do not contribute to the mobility of organic pollutants in agricultural soils In agriculture, large quantities of nanoand microplastics end up in the soil through compost, sewage sludge and the use of mulching foils. The plastic particles always carry various pollutants with them.

By Christoph Pelzl The influence of solar events on satellite-based applications such as orbit determination, telecommunications or navigation is being investigated by two research projects with the participation of TU Graz. Solar storms and similar events can cause sustainable damages to electronic systems on Earth, as well as on satellites.

By Cornelia Kröpfl, BA MA If the groundwater rises sharply, flooding can be imminent. The Tom and Jerry satellites, chasing each other high above the earth, help make important predictions - including about climate change. Between 200 and 300 gigatons of mass is lost from Greenland each year. "A gigaton is an ice cube the size of a cubic kilometre," Torsten Mayer-Gürr makes this - literally - gigantic consequence of climate change strikingly clear.

By Christoph Pelzl The study results are based on investigations of repeated mass movements and are expected to benefit planning, maintenance, and development of transportation infrastructure in affected areas. Mass movements such as landslides and hill-slope debris flows cause billions of euros in economic damage around the world every year.

By Christoph Pelzl Research association led by TU Graz wants to use the heat contained in the discharged tunnel water to supply energy to entire city districts. As part of the FFG programme "City of the Future", a sustainable concept for the city of Innsbruck is being developed. Additional Images for download at the end of the text After completion in about ten years, the Brenner base tunnel is expected to provide relief for transit traffic between Italy and Austria.

Experimental microbially assisted chemolithotrophy provides an opportunity to trace the putative bioalteration processes of the Martian crust. A study on the Noachian Martian breccia Northwest Africa (NWA) 7034 composed of ancient (ca. Gyr old) crustal materials from Mars, led by ERC grantee Tetyana Milojevic from the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Vienna, now delivered a unique prototype of microbial life experimentally designed on a real Martian material.

By Birgit Baustädter Neither hard like stone, nor soft like soil: transition rock is important for almost every construction project, but difficult to study. But this is now possible at the TU Graz. Transition rock is soft rock and hard soil; it is inhomogeneous, anisotropic and brittle. "This material can be found almost everywhere where building activities are undertaken.