Up to 30% of bird diversity hotspots, places where large numbers of different bird species occur, in the western United States face threats from high-severity wildfires in the future that could eliminate critical forest habitats, according to new research published in the journal Nature Communications.
Higher Water Levels Could Turn Cultivated Peatland in the North Into a CO2 Sink
A two year field experiment carried out in the world’s northernmost cultivated peatland, located in Pasvik in Finnmark, shows that greenhouse gas emissions can be greatly reduced by raising and maintaining the water table at 25–50 centimetres below the soil surface.
Long-Term Warming Transforms Mountain Meadows Above and Below Ground
In the longest-running field warming experiment of its kind, researchers have documented dramatic shifts in high-elevation mountain meadows, revealing that changes in climate alter not only the plants we can see above ground, but the invisible world of fungi and microbes in the soil below.
The “Grand Canyon” of the Atlantic
How a shifting plate boundary and hot mantle material formed one of the largest canyons in the ocean.
Record-Breaking Sediment Core Provides Unprecedented Evidence of West Antarctic Ice Sheet Retreat
An international team has drilled the longest ever sediment core from under an ice sheet, providing a record stretching back millions of years that will help climate scientists forecast the fate of the ice sheet in our warming world.
FAU Feasibility Study: Queen Conch Aquaculture and Seagrass Impacts
Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute has been awarded a grant from Blue Carbon Plus (BC+) to explore sustainable, market-driven aquaculture opportunities in The Bahamas and elsewhere.
Global Warming Must Peak Below 2°C to Limit Tipping Point Risks
Global warming must peak below 2°C then return under 1.5°C as quickly as possible to limit the risk of dangerous “tipping points”, experts say.
The Hidden Impact of Polluted Snow
As Canada experiences record snowfall, new research from the University of Waterloo suggests that tiny amounts of industrial pollution trapped in snow can change how sunlight reaches the ground below and significantly alter fragile environments.
Course Correction Needed Quickly to Avoid Pathway to ‘Hothouse Earth’ Scenario, Scientists Say
Scientists say multiple Earth system components appear closer to destabilization than previously believed, putting the planet at increased risk of a “hothouse” trajectory driven by feedback loops that can amplify the consequences of global warming.
Plant-Based Material Offers Sustainable Method of Recovering Rare Earth Element
Despite rare earth elements’ importance in manufacturing cell phones, magnets and a host of other consumer and commercial electronics, the lack of a sustainable, environmentally friendly approach to obtaining these metals has led to a global shortage, according to Amir Sheikhi, associate professor of chemical engineering.