Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Rupert Sutherland
Continental drift: why the need for critical minerals might change the way we define Earth’s zones
Continents and oceans have scientific definitions that underpin international law. The idea of dividing the world into geographical zones is ancient. Sovereignty and influence over natural resources is at the heart of most global divisions. A peaceful transition away from fossil fuels will require new global agreements on how to manage mineral resources in the deep ocean as well as those associated with continents. Technology and modern global politics are creating new challenges.
Why the need for critical minerals might change the way we define Earth's zones
Continue reading More for You
Continental drift: why the need for critical minerals might change the way we define Earth’s zones
Continents and oceans have scientific definitions that underpin international law. The idea of dividing the world into geographical zones is ancient. Sovereignty and influence over natural resources is at the heart of most global divisions. A peaceful transition away from fossil fuels will require new global agreements on how to manage mineral resources in the deep ocean as well as those associated with continents. Technology and modern global politics are creating new challenges.
Oceans are better at storing carbon than trees. In a warmer future, ocean carbon sinks could help stabilise our planet
We think of trees and soil as carbon sinks, but the world’s oceans hold far larger carbon stocks and are more effective at storing carbon permanently. In new research published today, we investigate the long-term rate of permanent carbon removal by seashells of plankton in the ocean near New Zealand. We show that seashells have drawn down about the same amount of carbon as regional emissions of carbon dioxide, and this process was even higher during ancient periods of climate warming.
Oceans are better at storing carbon than trees. In a warmer future, ocean carbon sinks could help stabilise our planet
The continent of Zealandia is about twice the size of India, but most of it lies more than 1000m deep in the southwest Pacific Ocean. Credit: Author provided, CC BY-ND We think of trees and soil as carbon sinks, but the world's oceans hold far larger carbon stocks and are more effective at storing carbon permanently. In new research published today, we investigate the long-term rate of permanent carbon removal by seashells of plankton in the ocean near New Zealand.
Oceans are better at storing carbon than trees
By Rupert Sutherland and Laia Alegret for The Conversation, We think of trees and soil as carbon sinks, but the world’s oceans hold far larger carbon stocks and are more effective at storing carbon permanently. In new research published today, we investigate the long-term rate of permanent carbon removal by seashells of plankton in the ocean near New Zealand.
Oceans are better at storing carbon than trees. In a warmer future, ocean carbon sinks could help stabilise our planet
We think of trees and soil as carbon sinks, but the world’s oceans hold far larger carbon stocks and are more effective at storing carbon permanently. In new research published today, we investigate the long-term rate of permanent carbon removal by seashells of plankton in the ocean near New Zealand. We show that seashells have drawn down about the same amount of carbon as regional emissions of carbon dioxide, and this process was even higher during ancient periods of climate warming.
NZ's next large Alpine Fault quake is likely coming sooner than we thought, study shows
The Alpine Fault marks the boundary between the Pacific and Australian plates in the South Island of New Zealand. Author provided The chances of New Zealand’s Alpine Fault rupturing in a damaging earthquake in the next 50 years are much higher than previously thought, according to our research, published today.
What happened 129,000 years ago in Antarctica could be our future
Rising global temperatures and warming ocean waters are causing one of the world’s coldest places to melt. While we know that human activity is causing climate change and driving rapid changes in Antarctica, the potential impacts that a warmer world would have on this region remain uncertain. Our new research might be able to provide some insight into what effect a warmer world would have in Antarctica, by looking at what happened more than 129,000 years ago.
Smithsonian releases massive database of free content
Time to meme The Smithsonian has released nearly 3 million images for public use and more. The Smithsonian announced on Tuesday that it is releasing nearly 3 million images and "nearly two centuries of data" for public use as part of an initiative called "Smithsonian Open Access." The institution will release more images throughout the year. The Smithsonian claims this is the "largest and most interdisciplinary open access program to date" among museums and cultural institutions.
9 US maps show how the secondhand smoke you’re breathing comes from another state
Scientists estimate that each year in the U.S., outdoor air pollution shortens the lives of about 100,000 people by one to two decades. As it turns out, much of this pollution originates not in a person’s own neighborhood, but up to hundreds or even thousands of miles away in neighboring states. And, absent strong federal regulations, there’s very little Americans can do about it.
bushfires showed we’re only ever one step from system collapse
This summer’s bushfires were not just devastating events in themselves. More broadly, they highlighted the immense vulnerability of the systems which make our contemporary lives possible. The fires cut road access, which meant towns ran out of fuel and fell low on food. Power to towns was cut and mobile phone services stopped working. So too did the ATMs and EFTPOS services the economy needs to keep running. In a modern, wealthy nation such as Australia, how could this happen?
"Wonder gases" of the 1920s are doing something unexpected today
One of the earliest climate model predictions of how human-made climate change would affect our planet showed that the Arctic would warm about two to three times more than the global average. Forty years later, this “Arctic amplification” has been observed firsthand. Record-breaking Arctic warming and the dramatic decline of sea ice are having severe consequences on sensitive ecosystems in the region. But why has the Arctic warmed more than the tropics and the mid-latitudes?
The Strange Quest to Crack the Voynich Code
IT’S AN APPROXIMATELY 600-year-old mystery that continues to stump scholars, cryptographers, physicists, and computer scientists: a roughly 240-page medieval codex written in an indecipherable language, brimming with bizarre drawings of esoteric plants, naked women, and astrological symbols. Known as the Voynich manuscript, it defies classification, much less comprehension. And yet, over the years a steady stream of researchers have stepped up with new claims to have cracked its secrets.
The smell of your girlfriend has 2 scientifically proven benefits
Having trouble sleeping? Nervous about an important interview? Smelling your partner’s worn clothing may help improve your sleep and calm your nerves. While it may sound strange to smell your partner’s clothing, these behaviors are surprisingly common. In one study, researchers asked participants if they had ever slept with or smelled their partners’ worn clothing during periods of separation.
For Israelis and Palestinians, a Battle Over a Humble Plant
FOR JUST UNDER three months a year, towards the end of the winter rains, Samir Naamneh and his wife Nadya get up at 4 in the morning, gear up in improvised camouflage, and pack into a truck headed from Arraba, their Arab village in Israel, to the Golan Heights. During this season, the volcanic plateau is carpeted with delicate wildflowers and dotted with hundreds of endangered gazelles.
Coronavirus outbreak: a new mapping tool that lets you scroll through timeline
In the final weeks of 2019, a virus slipped furtively from animal to human somewhere in the Chinese city of Wuhan. This inauspicious moment marked the sounding of a starting pistol, unheard at first but now echoing deafeningly across the globe. The race to stop a pandemic had begun. We have been trying to keep up with the novel coronavirus ever since. Each day, we are faced with worrying headlines reporting the latest twists and turns of this outbreak.
Expedition Reveals The Violent Birth Of Earth’s Hidden Continent Zealandia, Forged In A Ring Of Fire
Image: IODP, Author provided Three years ago, the identification of Zealandia as a continent made global headlines. Now, newly published results from our scientific drilling expedition reveal the largely submerged Zealandia continent, which stretches across five million square kilometres beneath the southwest Pacific Ocean, was shaped by two tectonic events. First it was ripped away from Australia and Antarctica, and then it was carved by forces that started the Pacific Ring of Fire.
Geologists Finally Reveal The Forces That Forged Earth's Sunken Continent Zealandia
RUPERT SUTHERLAND & GERALD DICKENS, THE CONVERSATION 7 FEB 2020 Three years ago, the identification of Zealandia as a continent made global headlines. Now, newly published results from our scientific drilling expedition reveal the largely submerged Zealandia continent, which stretches across five million square kilometres beneath the southwest Pacific Ocean, was shaped by two tectonic events.
Expedition reveals the violent birth of Earth's hidden continent Zealandia, forged in a ring of fire
By Rupert Sutherland and Gerald Dickens for The Conversation Three years ago, the identification of Zealandia as a continent made global headlines. Now, newly published results from our scientific drilling expedition reveal the largely submerged Zealandia continent, which stretches across five million square kilometres beneath the southwest Pacific Ocean, was shaped by two tectonic events.
Expedition reveals the violent birth of Earth’s hidden continent Zealandia, forged in a ring of fire
Three years ago, the identification of Zealandia as a continent made global headlines. Now, newly published results from our scientific drilling expedition reveal the largely submerged Zealandia continent, which stretches across five million square kilometres beneath the southwest Pacific Ocean, was shaped by two tectonic events. First it was ripped away from Australia and Antarctica, and then it was carved by forces that started the Pacific Ring of Fire.
The Conversation
Cherie Lacey (left) and Catherine Caudwell interacting with a Furby, one of the first cute home robots. VUW October 5, 2017 Cherie Lacey, Victoria University of Wellington and Catherine Caudwell, Victoria University of Wellington There's a reason domestic robots are cute. It makes them appear vulnerable and in need of protection - and that makes us forget that they have unprecedented access to our personal data.
Explorers probe hidden continent of Zealandia
By Rupert Sutherland, Professor of tectonics and geophysics, Victoria University of Wellington Zealandia made global headlines earlier this year when scientists announced that it counts as a new continent. Now it is coming under closer scientific scrutiny. We are currently halfway through an expedition to drill into this vast underwater plateau of continental crust, and we can already reveal that Zealandia’s geography changed more dramatically and more recently than anyone had thought.
Zealandia 'Radically Altered' by Earth's Ring of Fire
Zealandia made global headlines earlier this year when scientists announced that it counts as a new continent. Now it is coming under closer scientific scrutiny. We are currently halfway through an expedition to drill into this vast underwater plateau of continental crust, and we can already reveal that Zealandia’s geography changed more dramatically and more recently than anyone had thought.
Explorers probe submerged continent of Zealandia
Now it is coming under closer scientific scrutiny. We are currently halfway through an expedition to drill into this vast underwater plateau of continental crust, and we can already reveal that Zealandia's geography changed more dramatically and more recently than anyone had thought. There are seven continents on Earth: Eurasia, North America, South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia and now Zealandia.
Zealandia: Earth’s Hidden Continent Was Radically Altered by the Formation of the Ring of Fire
Zealandia made global headlines earlier this year when scientists announced that it counts as a new continent. Now it is coming under closer scientific scrutiny. We are currently halfway through an expedition to drill into this vast underwater plateau of continental crust, and we can already reveal that Zealandia’s geography changed more dramatically and more recently than anyone had thought.
Explorers probe hidden continent of Zealandia
Zealandia made global headlines earlier this year when scientists announced that it counts as a new continent. Now it is coming under closer scientific scrutiny. We are currently halfway through an expedition to drill into this vast underwater plateau of continental crust, and we can already reveal that Zealandia’s geography changed more dramatically and more recently than anyone had thought.
Carmel, Indiana Might Forever Be America's Roundabout Kingdom
To the average tourist, Carmel, Indiana (pop. 91,065) is a sterling Midwestern suburb. It’s been put on several Best Place to Live lists in recent years and has seen its population grow by more than 10,000 since the 2010 Census. But before the city’s recent achievements, it had a history innovative thinking. Carmel was one of the first cities to install a stop-and-go traffic light back in 1924. These days, however, Carmel’s in a debate over a different type of traffic sorter: the roundabout.
New Zealand's Alpine Fault reveals extreme underground heat and fluid pressure
The drilling project at New Zealand’s Alpine Fault is the first to investigate a major fault that is due to rupture in a big earthquake in coming decades. John Townend/Victoria University of Wellington, CC BY-SA An international team that drilled almost a kilometre deep into New Zealand’s Alpine Fault, which is expected to rupture in a major earthquake in the next decades, has found extremely hot temperatures and high fluid pressures.
New Zealand's Alpine Fault reveals extreme underground heat and fluid pressure
An international team that drilled almost a kilometre deep into New Zealand’s Alpine Fault, which is expected to rupture in a major earthquake in the next decades, has found extremely hot temperatures and high fluid pressures. Our findings, published in Nature today, describe these surprising underground conditions. They have broad implications for understanding what happens in the buildup to a major earthquake, and may represent the discovery of a new type of geothermal energy resource.
Geochemical and microstructural evidence for interseismic changes in fault zone permeability and strength, Alpine Fault, New Zealand
Oblique dextral motion on the central Alpine Fault in the last c. 5 Myr has exhumed garnet-oligoclase facies mylonitic fault rocks from c. 35 km depth. During exhumation, deformation, accompanied by fluid infiltration, has generated complex lithological variations in fault-related rocks retrieved during Deep Fault Drilling Project (DFDP-1) drilling at Gaunt Creek, South Island, New Zealand.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Rupert
Contact Rupert, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack