Biomarker analyses from an offshore sediment core suggest that increased fire occurrence around 55,000 years ago coincided with increased fuel loads and human settlement in this region.
biogeochemistry
Posted inNews
Neanderthals Likely Ate Rotten Meat
Neanderthals have long been painted as meat-eating machines. But could a new look at a dietary proxy and how it changes when meat rots uncover insights into what these extinct hominids really ate?
Posted inEditors' Highlights
What Lies and Waits Beneath Lake Ice?
Rarely made detailed measurements of carbon dioxide and methane under lake ice reveal a story more complex than simple models of gas buildup, with surprising findings for climate change impacts.
Posted inOpinions
Human Activities Create Corridors of Change in Aquatic Zones
Canals, dammed reservoirs, irrigation ditches, and pollution are changing species diversity, microbial communities, and nutrient levels in aquatic zones across the planet.
Posted inScience Updates
Piecing Together the Big Picture on Water and Climate
A new database brings together water isotope data from many sources, providing an integrated resource for studying changes in Earth’s hydroclimate over the past 2,000 years.
Posted inFeatures
Assessing a New Clue to How Much Carbon Plants Take Up
Current climate models disagree on how much carbon dioxide land ecosystems take up for photosynthesis. Tracking the stronger carbonyl sulfide signal could help.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Autonomous Floats Shed New Light on the Ocean’s Many Hues
Argo float data reveal regional deviations from existing models of the relationship between ocean color and biogeochemistry.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Mushrooms Could Provide a Record of Grassland History
Scientists measured carbon isotopes in certain types of fungi to assess whether the organisms can track how climate change is affecting grasses.
Posted inScience Updates
Bringing Biogeochemistry into the Argo Age
Plans are underway to integrate and augment a collection of regional programs to form a global biogeochemical monitoring network.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Glacial Meltwater Features Depend on Glacier Type and Location
With climate change, some glaciers will melt faster than others, altering the proportions of nutrients in meltwater and changing downstream ecosystems.