Latest science news in Earth & Climate
1% of offshore wind investments could restore millions of hectares of marine life
Offshore wind farms not only deliver clean energy but can also play a vital role in restoring vulnerable ecosystems both above and below the waterline. This includes seabed habitats, coral...
Watch: 'My Life with the Walter Boys' Season 2 gets teaser, premiere date
Netflix is teasing the sophomore season of teen drama "My Life with the Walter Boys" ahead of its Aug. 28 premiere.
Survey records more than 1,400 newts killed on Hong Kong roads in two months
The Hong Kong newt (Paramesotriton hongkongensis), which has an orange-spotted belly and is typically 15 centimeters in length, is Hong Kong's only native salamander species. The newt, listed as near-threatened...
Scientists reconstruct 540 million years of sea level change in detail
Sea level on Earth has been rising and falling ever since there was water on the planet. Scientists were already able to use sediments and fossils to roughly reconstruct how...
Stream health assessment tool developed to guide restoration efforts
A new study conducted at Reichman University's School of Sustainability presents an innovative tool to help decision-makers better understand the condition of streams and thereby advance their restoration and rehabilitation....
For fish, hovering uses double the energy of resting, study finds
Fish make hanging motionless in the water column look effortless, and scientists had long assumed that this meant that it was a type of rest. Now, a new study reveals...
Drones help plant researchers detect soybean dicamba damage from the sky
Drones can now detect subtle soybean canopy damage from dicamba at one ten-thousandth of the herbicide's label rate—simulating vapor drift—eight days after application. This advancement in remote sensing from the...
Overuse of riprap to prevent riverbank erosion is harming British Columbia's rivers
Every spring, melting snow and heavy rainfall brings a higher risk of flooding and riverbank erosion to parts of Canada. Bank erosion is responsible for a significant portion of annual...
Autonomous vehicle's search in Mariana Trench helps advance understanding of deep sea and its critical minerals
A new autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) imaged a previously unexplored portion of the seafloor in ultra-deep waters near the Mariana Trench. Operationalizing this technology for the first time was part...
Plate tectonics—mineral olivine found crucial for heat transport in the mantle
Due to the radiative thermal conductivity of the mineral olivine, only oceanic plates over 60 million years old and subducting at more than 10 centimeters per year remain sufficiently cold...
How should we get rid of CO₂? These scientists want to turn it into stone
We are going back 55 million years. That was when Greenland and Norway began to drift apart, causing the Atlantic Ocean to open up. The Earth's crust between them became...
Rain showers can dramatically impact fungal communities in urban lakes
Rainfall can have dramatic effects on the microbial communities living in urban lakes, a new paper published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology reveals.
Ganges basin peak flows fall 17% per decade, shifting flood and water supply patterns across India
Peak water flows in parts of India's largest river basin have been falling by more than one-sixth every decade, according to a study published in npj Natural Hazards that highlights...
Cape Town's sewage treatment isn't coping: Scientists are worried about what the city is telling the public
Urban water bodies—rivers, lakes and oceans—are in trouble globally. Large sewage volumes damage the open environment, and new chemicals and pharmaceutical compounds don't break down on their own. When they...
Watch: Morpheus protects the Dreaming in 'Sandman' Season 2, Volume 2 teaser
Netflix is previewing the second portion of "The Sandman" Season 2 ahead of its July 24 arrival on the streamer. Tom Sturridge stars in the fantasy series.
The oldest rocks on Earth are more than 4 billion years old
Earth formed about 4.6 billion years ago, during the geological eon known as the Hadean. The name "Hadean" comes from the Greek god of the underworld, reflecting the extreme heat...
10 drivers of global river delta changes identified—scientists warn urgent climate action need
New research from a Southampton scientist has identified the causes of changes affecting river deltas around the world—warning of an urgent need to tackle them through climate adaptation.
Four bears break into Connecticut home to steal food
Wildlife officials in Connecticut said a mother bear and four cubs broke into a home, raided the pantry and left before police arrived.
Beneficial root microbes can help sustain rice yields in unfertilized fields
Despite rice being the staple food for more than half of the world's population, its cultivation remains highly resource-intensive, requiring large amounts of water and chemical fertilizers. Even as environmental...
Researchers Work to Beat the Summer Heat by Studying Florida's Microclimates
UF researcher Yi Luo studies microclimates, areas that may have a different climate than their overall region, to make cities feel less scorching. Her work includes mitigating the heat for...
Growing surface meltwater in East Antarctica signals new risks for global sea levels
Research involving the University of Liverpool has discovered a trend of increasing surface meltwater in East Antarctica. In an ambitious new study, they produced the first Antarctic-wide, high-resolution monthly dataset...
Texas Hill Country one of deadliest sites in U.S. for flash flooding
Texas Hill Country is known for its landscapes, where shallow rivers wind among hills and through rugged valleys. That geography also makes it one of the deadliest places in the...
Fig trees convert atmospheric CO₂ to stone, research reveals
Some species of fig trees store calcium carbonate in their trunks—essentially turning themselves (partially) into stone, new research has found. The team of Kenyan, U.S., Austrian, and Swiss scientists found...
NGOs laud tougher Malaysia plastic trash import laws
Environmental groups welcomed on Monday Malaysia's decision to tighten regulations on plastic waste imports, but urged stricter enforcement of the laws in a country that recycles tons of trash from...
Transport and mass budget of biodegradable microplastics in the Seto Inland Sea
Microplastics (MPs) pollution is a prevalent environmental problem that affects ecosystems globally. Despite the growing research on the environmental effects of MPs, a significant research gap remains in understanding the...
Scientists discover giant 'sinkites' beneath the North Sea
Scientists have discovered hundreds of giant sand bodies beneath the North Sea that appear to defy fundamental geological principles and could have important implications for energy and carbon storage.
A conceptual breakthrough has emerged for the Colorado River's future
After months of stalemate, glimmers of hope have emerged for consensus on a new plan to manage the shrinking Colorado River.
New models improve predictions of snow, rock and ice avalanches
A new 3D simulation tool developed by ETH and SLF researchers now allows for significantly more accurate predictions of complex alpine mass movements, supporting alpine risk management.