Achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals may only be possible if human activities are central to critical zone science.
agriculture
Natural Floodplains Are Quickly Vanishing
From 1992 to 2019, 600,000 square kilometers of natural floodplains were lost globally due to land conversion.
Current Agriculture Adds More Phosphorus to Streams Than to Lakes
Improved agricultural nutrient management could improve stream water quality by reducing phosphorus levels, but rising temperatures and rainfall due to climate change might offset improvements.
Farming Is Intensifying Floods in the South American Plains
The replacement of native vegetation by crops has raised groundwater levels in the Pampas, a new study suggests.
Mapeo de la convergencia entre pobladores, pesticidas y áreas protegidas
La exposición a pesticidas puede afectar la salud humana y de los ecosistemas. Una investigación reciente aplica modelos cartográficos en Ecuador, los cuales pueden ser exportados a otras escalas para limitar estos impactos adversos en otras regiones.
Mapping Intersections of Pesticides, Protected Areas, and People
Pesticide exposures can impact human and ecosystem health, and new research uses a modeling approach applied to Ecuador that can be scaled and exported to limit negative impacts in other regions.
Taking a Fine-Grained Approach to Investigating Climate’s Impact on Crops
Studying the effects of variable weather on all three aspects of production—planting, harvesting, and yield—can help farmers and policymakers build resilience to climate change.
Agriculture 3.0: Preparing for a Drier Future in the Colorado River Basin
Years of drought and climate change are causing water resources to dwindle in the Colorado River Basin. But farmers and scientists are collaborating to learn how to grow crops with less water.
Danger in the Dust! The Hazards of Windblown Dust
Airborne dust not only causes disease, it also menaces transportation on land, sea, and air; disrupts renewable energy systems; transports pathogens and toxic substances; and poses many other hazards.