Seismic Sensing Reveals Rapid Permafrost Thaw Under Rivers

Scientist looks over icy river on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

17 April 2026—Thawing permafrost buried underneath rivers may be accelerating permafrost degradation faster than previously estimated in these inundated regions, according to new research shared at the 2026 SSA Annual Meeting. Haoyuan Sun of Zhejiang University and colleagues used distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) on an existing telecommunications cable to develop … Continue Reading »

Tectonic “Pump” May Close the Evolutionary Loop for Subseafloor Microbes

subseafloor microbes at 5000x magnification

16 April 2026—In subduction zones, the sites of the world’s largest earthquakes, tectonic activity may generate a “pump” that transports long-buried subseafloor microbes back toward the seafloor, according to research presented at the 2026 SSA Annual Meeting. These microbes are the world’s most dedicated sleeping beauties, lying dormant for thousands … Continue Reading »