Toxic particulate matter has decreased by about a third over the past decade, but levels are still above what’s considered healthy.
Research Spotlights
Research spotlights are plain-language summaries of recent articles published in AGU’s suite of 24 journals.
Side Benefits of Climate Action May Save Millions of Lives in Africa
Premature deaths due to air pollution would decline across the continent.
Algorithm Detects Thousands of Missing Levees from U.S. Database
An existing levee database accounts for just one fifth of the country’s actual total levee count, limiting the study of how these embankments affect riparian ecosystem health in the United States.
Steep Mountain Slopes Have Surprisingly Long Lifetimes
New models of eastern Tibetan hillsides show that steep slopes with “excess” rock last longer on average than their shallower counterparts.
Small Catchments Sustain Silicon Signatures Following Storms
Watersheds have unique patterns of silicon export due to differences in subsurface water routing and biogeochemical reactions.
Higher Lead Concentrations Found in Diseased Bones
Researchers compared trace element concentrations in patients with and without osteoporosis, finding possible differences in bone geochemistry between the groups.
Los microbios podrían comer minerales magnéticos en un sitio de derrame de petróleo
Nuevos experimentos en un antiguo sitio de derrames de petróleo en Minnesota sugieren que los procesos no biológicos por sí solos no pueden explicar la disminución de la magnetización.
Solar Wind a Major Driver of Atmospheric Sodium at Mercury
MESSENGER observations show a 50% rise in atmospheric sodium-group ions during periods of high solar wind activity.
Quantifying the Health Benefits of a U.S. Clean Energy Transition
Eliminating energy-related air pollution in the United States could prevent roughly 50,000 premature deaths and save billions of dollars per year.
