Science Daily: Climate News

A new study gives important context to the fires burning big swaths of the Amazon today.

Coasts, oceans, ecosystems, weather and human health all face impacts from climate change, and now valuable soils may also be affected. Climate change may reduce the ability of soils to absorb water in many parts of the world, according to a new study. And that could have serious implications for groundwater supplies, food production and security, stormwater runoff, biodiversity and ecosystems.

This novel drone-based chemical monitoring system tracks the health of the Amazon in the face of global climate change and human-caused deforestation and burning.

As plants expand into new open habitats, geographical and climatic factors may matter more than species-specific traits, according to a new study.

By studying nearly five decades of data on more than 5,800 saguaros dotting Tumamoc Hill, researchers found that small variations in the hill's topography might buffer saguaro populations from the impacts of climate change.

There's a whole world behind the scenes at natural history museums that most people never see -- millions upon millions of dinosaur bones, pickled sharks, dried leaves, and every other part of the natural world. These specimens are used in research by scientists trying to understand how different kinds of life evolved and how we can protect them. A study shows how scientists are using digital records of all these specimens in their research.

Cold temperatures are not nearly as deadly as heat, with around 2% of all deaths in Australia related to heat, according to new research.

Plants emit gases, called volatile organic compounds (VOCs), that enter the atmosphere, where they can interact with other natural and human-made molecules to form secondary organic aerosols (SOAs). These tiny, suspended particles influence atmospheric processes, such as cloud formation and sunlight scattering. Now, researchers have shown that aphid-infested Scots pine trees produce a different mixture of VOCs than healthy plants, which then leads to different SOAs.

This study has shown the importance of conserving rare species for the maintenance of complex ecosystems like Mediterranean forests. Therefore, for these species, it becomes essential to understand the factors that make conservation successful.

Scientists have developed a mathematical model that can reflect the complex interplays between vegetation, soil and water regimes. They show, for example, that in beech forests water is increasingly cycled between soil and vegetation to increase evaporation to the atmosphere, while grass cover promotes groundwater recharge.

The International Energy Agency has dubbed increased global cooling demand as one of the most critical blind spots in today's energy debate.

The world could make greater progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by prioritizing a subset of the goals rather than pursuing them all equally, a first-of-its-kind mathematical study reveals.

While every fire needs a spark to ignite and fuel to burn, it's the hot and dry conditions in the atmosphere that determine the likelihood of a fire starting, its intensity and the speed at which it spreads. Over the past several decades, as the world has increasingly warmed, so has its potential to burn.

Bacteria in the Pacific Ocean remove large amounts of the greenhouse gas methane.

Volcanic eruptions and their ash clouds pose a significant hazard to population centers and air travel, especially those that show few to no signs of unrest beforehand. Geologists are now using a technique traditionally used in weather and climate forecasting to develop new eruption forecasting models. By testing if the models are able to capture the likelihood of past eruptions, the researchers are making strides in the science of volcanic forecasting.

Cold temperatures are not nearly as deadly as heat, with around 2% of all deaths in Australia related to heat, according to new research.

The research centers on the asteroid impact that wiped out non-avian dinosaurs, with the researchers getting the most detailed look yet of the aftermath that followed by examining the rocks and debris that filled the crater within the first 24 hours after impact.

The Navajo Sandstone is known for its beautiful red and tan crossbedded sandstones that grace many of the national parks and monuments in the southwest USA. The sands were deposited in dunes within the largest known sand sea (erg) in Earth's history during the Early Jurassic. These deposits show a record of desertification -- the process by which fertile lands become desert. How did this landscape lose its water bodies, vegetation, and animals?

A team of scientists has concluded that earth experienced a previously underestimated severe mass-extinction event, which occurred about 260 million years ago.

For tens of millions of people, migration is a tough reality. What causes people to migrate away from their home countries, and what happens when they do? Migrants and their labor are responsible for moving hundreds of billions of dollars around the world annually. At their destinations, they affect populations, cultures, and economies. But their movement also has a major impact on the places they leave, including on how people use land.