Fieldwork in Tanzania suggests that soil chemistry—influenced by local volcanism and tectonic activity—might help dictate the record-setting migration of over a million wildebeests.
Africa
Posted inNews
Are We Seeing a New Ocean Starting to Form in Africa?
Although shallow magma storage at Erta Ale volcano hints at a rift-to-ridge transition, the tectonic future of the Afar region is far from certain.
Posted inNews
Tropical Forests Are Losing Their Ability to Soak Up Carbon
The forests could switch from a carbon sink to a carbon source by the mid-2030s.
Posted inNews
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 inNews
The Eternal Nile Is Even More Ancient Than We Thought
Deep-mantle flow helps maintain the river’s steady course.
Posted inNews
Dire and Drier Future for Lake Victoria
In the past, Lake Victoria dried out swiftly and often when rainfall was limited. Climate change might bring about those conditions again within a century.
Posted inNews
El Niño May Be a Culprit Behind the Cholera Epidemic in Yemen
Increased rainfall in East Africa and subsequent wind may have brought infected bugs to Yemen, causing the worst cholera outbreak of our time.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Tropical Forests May Have More Canopy Than Previously Thought
A rare attempt to directly estimate leaf area in a tropical African broadleaved forest suggests that there may be more tree foliage than previously estimated.
Posted inNews
Congo Rain Forest Endures a Longer Dry Season
The forest’s dry season has been starting earlier and ending later for decades, making parts of it vulnerable to incursions by drought-resistant ecosystems.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
The Ups and Downs of Rainfall in Chad Since 1950
A new study finds that rainfall rates are recovering in some cities since a 1966–1990 dry spell, but precipitation is still down overall since 1950.