Handprint thinking, a concept developed about a decade ago, is meant to complement ecological footprints and frame human actions in terms of how much good they can do to promote sustainability.

Aaron Sidder
Aaron Sidder is a freelance writer based out of Denver, Colo. He has a master’s degree in ecology from Colorado State University. Aaron was an AGU-sponsored AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellow at National Geographic in 2016, and he has been writing for Eos ever since. In addition to Eos and National Geographic, he has written for National Geographic Kids Magazine, Smithosonian Smart News, 5280 Magazine, and the Santa Fe Institute. In his free time, he cultivates an extensive—and growing—collection of field guides from around the country.
Social Media Helps Reveal Cause of 2018 Indonesian Tsunami
Videos from Twitter and YouTube helped scientists tease out the physical mechanisms that generated the large tsunami in Palu Bay after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake.
Marine Nitrous Oxide Emissions off Northwest Europe
Continental shelves and estuaries are natural sources of nitrous oxide, but current global estimates of these emissions carry a lot of uncertainty, a problem that calls for regional studies.
How Much Modification Can Earth’s Water Cycle Handle?
The planetary boundaries framework defines how much human disturbance various Earth system processes can take, but it may not adequately depict the water cycle or the extent to which we’ve altered it.
Tracing the Past Through Layers of Sediment
Signals in layers of sedimentary rock hint at climates and ecosystems come and gone. Understanding this history can help us forecast the future, but challenges abound.
Shaping Water Management with Planetary Boundaries
A new study uses the planetary boundaries concept to formulate an approach to water management that considers both global and local limits to water cycle modifications.
Linking Hydrology and Biogeochemistry in a Tropical Urban Estuary
Low-lying coastal estuaries are intertwined with tropical cities around the world. Yet little is known about these water bodies, which affect millions of people globally.
Reforestation as a Local Cooling Mechanism
Reforestation has been shown to cool surface temperatures, and a novel study suggests it may also reduce air temperature up to several stories above the ground.
Mapping Nutrient Inputs in the Great Lakes Basin
A new tool links nitrogen and phosphorus applications to land use classifications to better understand where and how much of the nutrients enter watersheds in the U.S. Great Lakes Basin.
Earthquake Statistics Vary with Fault Size
A theoretical study explores why small earthquake sources can produce quasiperiodic sequences of identical events, whereas earthquakes on large faults are intrinsically more variable.