Rob M. Skarbek, Demian M. Saffer, Heather M. Savage
{"title":"Not All Heterogeneity Is Equal: Length Scale of Frictional Property Variation as a Control on Subduction Megathrust Sliding Behavior","authors":"Rob M. Skarbek, Demian M. Saffer, Heather M. Savage","doi":"10.1029/2025GL115738","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL115738","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Heterogeneity in geometry, stress, and material properties is widely invoked to explain the observed spectrum of slow earthquake phenomena. However, the effects of length scale of heterogeneity on macroscopic fault sliding behavior remain underexplored. We investigate this question for subduction megathrusts, via linear stability analysis and quasi-dynamic simulations of slip on a dipping fault characterized by rate-and-state friction. Frictional heterogeneity is imposed through alternating velocity-strengthening and velocity-weakening (VW) patches, over length scales spanning from those representative of basement relief (several km) to the entrainment of contrasting lithologies (100s of m). The resulting fault behavior is controlled by: (a) the average frictional properties of the fault, and (b) the size of VW blocks relative to a critical length scale. Reasonable ranges of these properties yield sliding behaviors spanning from stable sliding, to slow and seismic slip events that are confined within VW blocks or propagate along the entire fault.</p>","PeriodicalId":12523,"journal":{"name":"Geophysical Research Letters","volume":"52 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2025GL115738","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143871767","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Downdip Variations in Megathrust Seismogenic Behavior in the Japan Trench Subduction Zone Affected by Mantle Wedge Serpentinite","authors":"Kelin Wang, Jiangheng He","doi":"10.1029/2025GL115446","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL115446","url":null,"abstract":"<p>It is important to seek geological context for the geophysically observed downdip segmentation of seismogenic behavior of subduction megathrusts. Here we focus on how mantle wedge serpentinite may affect megathrust seismogenesis at Japan Trench—an end-member cold subduction zone. Based on thermal modeling constrained by heat flow observations and serpentine frictional behavior reported in the literature, we hypothesize the presence of a lizardite-rich soft barrier starting at the mantle wedge corner (MWC) and an antigorite-rich seismic zone farther downdip. This soft-barrier hypothesis can explain why two groups of megathrust events are roughly divided by the MWC yet the giant 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake ruptured through the MWC. Seismogenic antigorite patches embedded in semi-viscous to viscous fault zone materials can explain other observed seismic phenomena of the deeper part of the megathrust such as aftershocks, persistent repeating earthquakes, and strong radiation of short-period energy in great earthquakes.</p>","PeriodicalId":12523,"journal":{"name":"Geophysical Research Letters","volume":"52 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2025GL115446","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143865996","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pamela J. Lee, Richard J. Brokaw, Ebenezer S. Nyadjro, Bulusu Subrahmanyam
{"title":"Surface Salinity Variability in the Gulf of Mexico During Flood and Drought Years","authors":"Pamela J. Lee, Richard J. Brokaw, Ebenezer S. Nyadjro, Bulusu Subrahmanyam","doi":"10.1029/2024GL114409","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL114409","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The interaction between the Loop Current System (LCS) and the Gulf of Mexico (GoM)'s freshwater circulation is investigated during flood and drought years. We combine satellite-derived sea surface salinity (SSS), ocean currents, and river discharge rates to examine patterns of salinity distribution throughout the entire GoM basin. Saline waters were reported intruding up the Mississippi River during drought years, so a close examination of these years is conducted. The relationship between the Loop Current (LC) and freshwater distribution are further investigated using a stepwise linear regression model. The relative impacts of river discharge and surface advective freshwater fluxes are quantified, and it is concluded that basin-wide SSS depends significantly on the discharge from the Atchafalaya River, which leads by 4 months. Interannual salinity variability in the GoM is found to depend on the combination of discharge magnitude and timing relative to the position of the LCS.</p>","PeriodicalId":12523,"journal":{"name":"Geophysical Research Letters","volume":"52 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2024GL114409","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143866001","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ken'yo U, Masanori Kameyama, Gaku Nishiyama, Takehiro Miyagoshi, Masaki Ogawa
{"title":"Long-Lasting Volcanism of the Moon Aided by the Switch in Dominant Mechanisms of Magma Ascent: Role of Localized Radioactive Enrichment in a Numerical Model of Magmatism and Mantle Convection","authors":"Ken'yo U, Masanori Kameyama, Gaku Nishiyama, Takehiro Miyagoshi, Masaki Ogawa","doi":"10.1029/2025GL115215","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL115215","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Significant volcanic activity continued for billions of years since 3.5–4 Gyr ago in the Procellarum KREEP Terrane (PKT) of the Moon, but not so significant outside the PKT. To understand this volcanic history, we developed a 2-D numerical model of magmatism and mantle convection; the effects of the PKT on lunar evolution are considered by initially imposing a region of localized radioactive enrichment. The calculated volcanism is driven by two different mechanisms. Early volcanism occurs when magma generated in the deep mantle by internal heating ascends to the surface as partially molten plumes. The basaltic blobs in the uppermost mantle formed by this magmatism then sink into the deep mantle, triggering further plumes that cause a resurgence of volcanism in its later history. Our model suggests that later plumes caused by sinking basaltic blobs are the cause of the long-lasting volcanism in the PKT.</p>","PeriodicalId":12523,"journal":{"name":"Geophysical Research Letters","volume":"52 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2025GL115215","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143871604","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Record-High Precipitation Over Eastern Europe Induced by Tropical-Subtropical North Atlantic Warming in Late Fall 2023","authors":"Yurong Hou, Kai Man, Shumin Yu, Xichen Li","doi":"10.1029/2024GL114309","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL114309","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Eastern Europe experienced record-high precipitation in late fall (October–November) 2023, with an area-weighted anomaly reaching up to 86 mm, >80% of its climatological precipitation. This study examines the drivers of this anomalous event using observations-based statistical analyses, and atmospheric model experiments. Our results reveal that exceptional warming in the tropical-subtropical North Atlantic (TSNA), characterized by a warm blob off North Africa reaching 1.2 K, played a crucial role. The TSNA warming induced a low-pressure anomaly over the mid-latitude North Atlantic and Europe, facilitating moisture transport and convergence toward Eastern Europe, leading to heavy rainfall. While the concurrent El Niño event and positive Indian Ocean Dipole may contribute to this process, their impacts were relatively modest compared to TSNA warming. These findings highlight the importance of monitoring and predicting TSNA SST anomaly to improve seasonal precipitation forecasts and develop effective adaptation strategies for Europe in the context of climate change.</p>","PeriodicalId":12523,"journal":{"name":"Geophysical Research Letters","volume":"52 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2024GL114309","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143866000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tobias A. de Jong, Joannes D. Maasakkers, Itziar Irakulis-Loitxate, Cynthia A. Randles, Paul Tol, Ilse Aben
{"title":"Daily Global Methane Super-Emitter Detection and Source Identification With Sub-Daily Tracking","authors":"Tobias A. de Jong, Joannes D. Maasakkers, Itziar Irakulis-Loitxate, Cynthia A. Randles, Paul Tol, Ilse Aben","doi":"10.1029/2024GL111824","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL111824","url":null,"abstract":"<p>We use the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) satellite instruments to retrieve atmospheric methane enhancements with 750 m resolution. We show that the three VIIRS instruments in orbit uniquely enhance tracking of methane super-emission events with sub-daily coverage. The VIIRS instrument on Suomi-NPP and the TROPOMI instrument on Sentinel-5 Precursor have overpasses that are only a few minutes apart, which allows for detection of methane super-emitters by TROPOMI followed by direct attribution to sources by VIIRS. This showcases the components needed to develop the first satellite system capable of daily, global, actionable, monitoring. The co-location also allows us to cross-validate our VIIRS methane enhancements with TROPOMI. Furthermore, we show how the multiple overpasses per day by VIIRS and Sentinel-3 give a unique insight in the timeline of emissions and can be vital in understanding and attributing transient emissions.</p>","PeriodicalId":12523,"journal":{"name":"Geophysical Research Letters","volume":"52 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2024GL111824","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143865999","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jae Hun Kim, Eric Rignot, Hanning Chen, David Holland, Denise Holland
{"title":"Grounding Zone of Helheim Glacier, Greenland, From Terrestrial Radar Interferometry","authors":"Jae Hun Kim, Eric Rignot, Hanning Chen, David Holland, Denise Holland","doi":"10.1029/2024GL112345","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL112345","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Helheim Glacier, in East Greenland, is a major outlet glacier that discharges about 33 Gigatons of ice per year into the ocean. Helheim has been undergoing a retreat since 2003. Using a portable terrestrial radar interferometer that scans the glacier every 2 min, we characterize its regime of tidal flexure at the ice front margin in relation to oceanic tide, bed slope, and iceberg calving events. The data reveals the presence of a central bed ridge that acts as a fulcrum, with one side of the glacier moving in phase with the tide, while the other is moving out of phase with a reduced amplitude. We detect seawater intrusions of one full thickness beneath the glacier front at high tide. Following tabular calving events, most ice flexing ceases, indicating that the ice front becomes grounded and that calving events involve ice blocks that are already afloat.</p>","PeriodicalId":12523,"journal":{"name":"Geophysical Research Letters","volume":"52 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2024GL112345","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143865997","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sunmin Oh, Ling Fang, Jeonghyun Kim, Eun Jin Yang, Jeomshik Hwang, Minkyoung Kim
{"title":"Sources and Dynamics of Dissolved Organic Carbon in Kongsfjorden: Insights From Radiocarbon Analysis","authors":"Sunmin Oh, Ling Fang, Jeonghyun Kim, Eun Jin Yang, Jeomshik Hwang, Minkyoung Kim","doi":"10.1029/2025GL114917","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL114917","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The Arctic is undergoing rapid warming, resulting in accelerating glacier melt and release of nutrients, particles, and organic matter into coastal fjord systems. Kongsfjorden, a fjord in Svalbard, serves as a natural laboratory for investigating climate-driven shifts in high-latitude fjord ecosystems and their broader implications for the Arctic. To examine dissolved organic carbon (DOC) sources and cycling in Kongsfjorden, we collected samples of seawater, floating ice, and river water in June 2023 and analyzed <sup>14</sup>C and <sup>13</sup>C in DOC. Radiocarbon values of DOC (as in Δ<sup>14</sup>C) in fjord seawater ranged from −302‰ to −253‰, while values in the Bayelva River were higher, suggesting a contribution of younger, terrigenous DOC. However, stable carbon isotope results suggested rapid removal of riverine DOC after entering the fjord. Additionally, differences in Δ<sup>14</sup>C values between the inner and outer fjord reflected varying contributions from surface primary production and glacial meltwater inputs.</p>","PeriodicalId":12523,"journal":{"name":"Geophysical Research Letters","volume":"52 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2025GL114917","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143866002","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Influence of Wave Action on Applications of Olivine-Based Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement on Sandy Beaches","authors":"Paige I. England, Lennart T. Bach","doi":"10.1029/2025GL114922","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL114922","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE) is an emerging carbon dioxide removal approach that aims to store additional atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> as (bi)carbonate in seawater. OAE can be realized through a variety of pathways, one of which is the dispersal of alkaline mineral sand on beaches where wave energy shall accelerate alkalinity formation. Here, we built a “Beach-Machine” to simulate a gradient of wave energy and test its effect on alkalinity formation by olivine, a widely considered mineral for OAE. We find that wave energy strongly (linearly) increases alkalinity formation from olivine when energy input is beyond a certain threshold. However, when olivine is mixed with organic-poor sand, energy input also increases the loss of alkalinity possibly by promoting precipitation reactions thereby canceling out the benefits of waves on alkalinity formation. Our experiments show that the effects of wave energy on OAE efficiency are dependent on the sediment where olivine-based OAE is applied.</p>","PeriodicalId":12523,"journal":{"name":"Geophysical Research Letters","volume":"52 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2025GL114922","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143865998","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tasneem Haq Meem, Bruce L. Rhoads, Quinn W. Lewis, Muhammad Umar, Alexander Sukhodolov
{"title":"Length Scales, Rates, and Variability of Mixing Downstream of River Confluences","authors":"Tasneem Haq Meem, Bruce L. Rhoads, Quinn W. Lewis, Muhammad Umar, Alexander Sukhodolov","doi":"10.1029/2025GL114640","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL114640","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Past work on lateral mixing downstream of river confluences has focused on mixing at individual confluences, limiting general knowledge of this process. This study evaluates the average length scales, rates, and variability of lateral mixing downstream at 43 confluences for 150 events based on contrasts in gray-scale intensity of confluent flows captured by aerial images. Only 45% of the events exhibit complete mixing over the length of the imaged downstream reach. The average dimensionless length scale (<i>s</i><sub><i>d</i></sub>) of complete mixing is 7.4 times the downstream flow width and varies from <i>s</i><sub><i>d</i></sub> = 1.1–26.3, but not all flows completely mix. A nonlinear spatial pattern of mixing, consistent with relations derived from shallow flow theory, reveals that mixing rates are substantially higher immediately downstream of confluences with most mixing occurring over <i>s</i><sub><i>d</i></sub> < 15. The findings confirm that confluences are important locations of accelerated mixing in river networks.</p>","PeriodicalId":12523,"journal":{"name":"Geophysical Research Letters","volume":"52 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2025GL114640","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143861800","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}