New findings highlight the need to account for large amounts of ground ice contained in frozen soil when assessing Arctic carbon cycling.
beaches, coasts, & shorelines
The Amazon River’s Ecosystem: Where Land Meets the Sea
What happens to plant matter on its journey down the Amazon River to the Atlantic Ocean? One research group investigated the region where river and ocean meet to fill in this part of the story.
Rising Ocean Temperatures Threaten Carbon-Storing Sea Grass
A new model predicts that as ocean temperatures rise, carbon-storing sea grass may disappear and even go extinct in some ecosystems.
Spills, Sediment, and Shoreline Contamination
A recent paper in Reviews of Geophysics describes the formation and behavior of oil-sediment residues in marine and coastal environments following an oil spill.
Sea Level 2017 Conference Looks to Coastal Sea Level Rise Impact
International World Climate Research Programme/Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (WCRP/IOC) Open Science Conference on Regional Sea Level Rise and Its Impacts; New York, New York, 10–14 July 2017
Threatened Sea Turtles in Hawaii Losing Ground to Rising Oceans
By midcentury, the Hawaiian green sea turtle could lose nesting beaches of increasing importance on Oahu, the most populous island in the chain.
Sea Level Rise May Swamp Many Coastal U.S. Sewage Plants
Cities typically build wastewater treatment facilities in low-lying areas. A new national study identifies which plants are most vulnerable to coastal flooding.
Offshore Islands Might Not Shield Coastlines from Tsunami Waves
Rather than offering protection, islands sometimes cause increased wave run-up on shorelines, experiments in a wave laboratory suggest.
Sandy Beaches Are Hotbeds of Biochemical Activity
A new study explores the role of wet sand in coastal ecology.
Run-Ups of Unusual Size
Not all waves are created equal when it comes to eroding sandy shorelines. Here’s a look at the physics that drives the big ones.