Glacial erosion likely caused atmospheric oxygen levels to dip over past 800,000 years. An unknown culprit has been removing oxygen from our atmosphere for at least 800,000 years, and an analysis of air bubbles preserved in Antarctic ice for up to 1.5 million years has revealed the likely suspect. “We know atmospheric oxygen levels began declining slightly in the late Pleistocene, and it looks like glaciers might have something to do with that,” said Rice University’s Yuzhen Yan, corresponding author…

Earthquakes of similar magnitude can cause tsunamis of greatly varying sizes. This commonly observed, but not well-understood phenomenon has hindered reliable warnings of local tsunamis. Research led by University of Hawai‘i (UH) at Mānoa scientists provides new insight that connects the characteristics of earthquakes—magnitude, depth where two tectonic plates slip past each other and the rigidity of the plates involved—with the potential size of a resulting tsunami. Previous researchers identified a special class of events known as tsunami earthquakes, which produce disproportionately…

European forest condition monitor… The increasing frequency of extreme weather conditions due to climate change poses a threat to forests worldwide. Droughts, late frosts, water-logged soils after floods, heavy precipitation and winter storms often cause tree die-back. Since extreme environmental conditions often impair tree defense mechanisms, secondary pathogens such as fungi and beetles frequently amplify tree decline and die-back rates. Some tree mortality factors are easier to track in live “Tree health is impacted by soil conditions, the stand structure…

Many of the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that end up in the ocean boomerang back to shore after they are re-emitted into air with the crashing of waves, according to a study by researchers at Stockholm University published today in Environmental Science & Technology. The findings suggest that this sea-to-air transport process is a significant contributor to PFAS air pollution in coastal areas. “The common belief was that PFAS would eventually wash off into the oceans where they would stay…

New study shows: Tropical seagrass meadows absorb in some cases significantly less carbon dioxide than long thought. To avert the worst consequences of climate change, humanity needs to considerably reduce the amount carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas, in the atmosphere over the coming years. To this end, a common suggestion is to restore natural CO2 reservoirs on the coasts that have been destroyed in many locations during the past decades. This includes mangrove forests, salt marshes and what are…

NASA will launch four Earth science missions in 2022 to provide scientists with more information about fundamental climate systems and processes including extreme storms, surface water and oceans, and atmospheric dust. Scientists will discuss the upcoming missions at the American Geophysical Union’s (AGU) 2021 Fall Meeting, hosted in New Orleans between Dec. 13 and 17. NASA has a unique view of our planet from space. NASA’s fleet of Earth-observing satellites provide high quality data on Earth’s interconnected environment, from air quality…

Tropical forests are vanishing at an alarming rate through deforestation, but also have the potential to regrow naturally on abandoned lands. A study published this week in Science shows that regrowing tropical forests recover surprisingly fast. After 20 years, characteristic attributes have recovered by an average of nearly 80% of old-growth forest values. The study led by Wageningen University with support from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) concludes that natural regeneration is a low-cost, nature-based solution for…

IN4climate.NRW develops solutions for a circular economy. The circular economy – or closed-loop recycling of raw materials – can contribute significantly to defossilisation and achieving the goals of the Paris Climate Agree-ment. It also saves valuable resources. The IN4climate.NRW federal state initiative provides an overview of the current status and presents a vision of the circular economy in energy-intensive industries in its current discussion paper “Circular Economy in the Basic Materials Industry: Opportunities and Requirements for a Successful Transformation”. Based…

A phenomenon where microbe-generated gas bubbles create granular fluctuations at the wet sandy floors of rivers, oceans, and lakes has revealed more about the distribution of materials at the bottom of waterbodies. Tohoku University Researchers dubbed this the “microbial Brazil nut effect.” Details of their research were published in the journal Soft Matter on October 6, 2021. The Brazil Nut Effect (BNE) happens when a granular mixture subjected to shaking results in bigger particles ending up on top. The name…

Submarine groundwater discharge is a process by which water exits coastal aquifers and enters the ocean. This can be terrestrial freshwater or salty seawater that intruded into the porous aquifer at the ocean’s edge. A new study, published in Nature Scientific Reports by University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa researchers, showed that while precipitation and sea level drive coastal groundwater levels, it is sea level, especially tides, that play gatekeeper on the amount of groundwater discharging to Hawai‘i’s coastal zone. Groundwater…

New computer model simulations identify widespread changes in climate variability under sustained anthropogenic forcing. There is growing public awareness that climate change will impact society not only through changes in mean temperatures and precipitation over the 21st century, but also in the occurrence of more pronounced extreme events, and more generally in natural variability in the Earth system. Such changes could also have large impacts on vulnerable ecosystems in both terrestrial and marine habitats. A scientific exploration of projected future…

The number of young corals can reveal how reefs are recovering from coral bleaching. A new study from the University of Bremen, which was recently published in “PLOS ONE” journal, has shown this. The warming of the oceans due to climate change and the subsequent increase in frequency and severity of coral bleaching are the worldwide biggest threats to coral reefs. Thus, how quickly coral reefs can recover from such bleaching is of great interest and the number of young…

The coastal zone is home to over a billion people. Rising sea levels are already impacting coastal residents and aggravating existing coastal hazards, such as flooding during high tides and storm surges. However, new research by assistant professor Tina Dura and professor Robert Weiss in the College of Science‘s Department of Geosciences indicates that future sea-level rise will also have impacts on the heights of future tsunamis. “In 50 to 70 years, sea level is going to be significantly higher around the world,”…

Retreating glaciers in the Pacific mountains of western North America could produce around 6,150 kilometers of new Pacific salmon habitat by the year 2100, according to a new study. Scientists have ‘peeled back the ice’ from 46,000 glaciers between southern British Columbia and south-central Alaska to look at how much potential salmon habitat would be created when underlying bedrock is exposed and new streams flow over the landscape. Modeling glacier retreat under different climate change scenarios, researchers discovered that, under…

The movement of water masses in the ocean, its circulation, is an essential component of the global climate system. In a study recently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS), researchers were able to show that circulation in the deep ocean was significantly slowed down during the last glacial period. Analyses of sediment samples show that the decomposition of organic carbon in the water masses of the deep sea consumed the oxygen available there. Scientists…

Red Sea phytoplankton blooms change seasonally and interannually in response to climatic events. A KAUST study has analyzed satellite data over two decades and its findings will underpin other investigations into how climate change could impact this marine ecosystem. Phytoplankton are water-living, microscopic organisms that use chlorophyll to convert light into energy. This process involves absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, similar to plants. “Phytoplankton are at the base of the marine food web and play a key role in…