The future of the world’s coral reefs is uncertain, as the impact of global heating continues to escalate. However, according to a study published today in Nature Climate Change, the response of the Great Barrier Reef to extreme temperatures in 2017 was markedly different to one year earlier, following two back-to-back bouts of coral bleaching. …
Tests on more than 100 sea turtles—spanning three oceans and all seven species—have revealed microplastics in the guts of every single turtle. Researchers from the University of Exeter and Plymouth Marine Laboratory, working with the Greenpeace Research Laboratories, looked for synthetic particles (less than 5mm in length) including microplastics in 102 sea turtles in the …
Leading scientists call for action to increase global soil carbon, in advance of the annual climate summit of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Katowice, Poland (COP24) and World Soil Day (5 Dec). The amount of carbon in soil is over twice the amount of carbon found in trees and other …
In a new study, Indiana University scientists found toxic flame retardants in newly manufactured children’s car seats, sparking concerns about children’s health. Of the 18 children’s car seats tested, 15 contained new or traditional hazardous flame retardant chemicals. “New replacement flame retardants, often marketed as safer alternatives, are lurking in children’s products without rigorous safety …
Along with a warming climate and intensified human activities, recent water storage in global landlocked basins has undergone a widespread decline. A new study reveals this decline has aggravated local water stress and caused potential sea level rise. The study, “Recent Global Decline in Endorheic Basin Water Storage,” was carried out by a team of …
A simple molecule in the atmosphere that acts as a “detergent” to breakdown methane and other greenhouse gases has been found to recycle itself to maintain a steady global presence in the face of rising emissions, according to new NASA research. Understanding its role in the atmosphere is critical for determining the lifetime of methane, …
Soot belches out of diesel engines, rises from wood- and dung-burning cookstoves and shoots out of oil refinery stacks. According to recent research, air pollution, including soot, is linked to heart disease, some cancers and, in the United States, as many as 150,000 cases of diabetes every year. Beyond its impact on health, soot, known …
A new study published in Nature Climate Change provides one of the most comprehensive assessments yet of how humanity is being impacted by the simultaneous occurrence of multiple climate hazards strengthened by increasing greenhouse gas emissions. This research reveals that society faces a much larger threat from climate change than previous studies have suggested. An …
We know less about the ground beneath our feet than we do about the surface of Mars, but new research by University of Colorado Boulder geoscientists shines a light on this hidden world from ridgetops to valley floors and shows how rainfall shapes the part of our planet that is just beyond where we can …
An international team of drought scientists reports that many dams and reservoirs can paradoxically worsen water shortages they’re intended to alleviate. The study is published in Nature Sustainability. Building dams and reservoirs is one of the most common approaches to cope with drought and water shortage. The aim is straightforward: Reservoirs can store water during …
