Researchers used a sediment core from a lake in California’s San Bernardino Mountains to track the effect of climate on vegetation, fire, and erosion between about 120,000 and 15,000 years ago.
Kate Wheeling
Kate Wheeling is a freelance journalist based in Santa Barbara, Calif. She writes about the environment, climate change, energy, and our relationship with the natural world. She was previously a staff writer at Pacific Standard, covering both environmental and criminal justice. Her work has also appeared in Outside, The New Republic, Medium, and elsewhere. She has a master’s degree in science journalism and a bachelor’s in behavioral neuroscience.
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An Ice Sheet’s Footprint on Ancient Shorelines
Researchers combine observations of ancient shorelines and properties of Earth’s crust to infer the size of the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the last glacial cycle.
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Minireservoirs Could Save Farmers with Sandy Soils
A recently revived subsurface water retention technology could conserve water and drastically increase crop yields in arid landscapes with sandy soils like sub-Saharan Africa.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Timing Matters for Rockfall Estimates
Researchers studying an eroding coastal cliff detected 10 times more rockfall events when monitoring surveys were conducted hourly versus monthly.
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How Conflict Influenced Land Use in Colombia
Researchers use new maps and statistical techniques to infer how armed conflict influenced land cover in the understudied Caribbean region of the country.
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Ship-Based Measurements Overestimate Southern Ocean Carbon Sink
New research suggests that combining ship- and float-based observations provides a more accurate measure of how much carbon the Southern Ocean absorbs.
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Toxic Algal Blooms Are Worsening with Climate Change
Researchers use remote sensing technology to carry out a global survey of large freshwater lakes.
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Where Does the Carbon Go When Permafrost Coasts Erode?
Arctic coastlines have not been considered carefully in carbon cycles for long, but new research suggests that eroding permafrost may emit more greenhouse gases than previously thought.
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The Hazard Cascade That Led to the Anak Krakatau Landslide
Researchers used a combination of ground and space-based measures to look for warning signs for the flank collapse at Anak Krakatau in 2018, which triggered a tsunami that killed hundreds.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Oceans Vented Carbon Dioxide During the Last Deglaciation
A new boron isotope record from South Pacific marine sediments offers a more complete picture of ocean-atmosphere carbon dioxide exchange during the late Pleistocene.