Using examples from the year 2012, a new study estimates the health costs of deaths and illnesses associated with climate-sensitive events.
Climate Change
Resilient Peatlands Keep Carbon Bogged Down
Boreal peatlands contain some of the world’s largest reservoirs of soil carbon, and new research suggests some peatlands may hold on to that carbon even as the climate changes.
Ancient Maya Farms Revealed by Laser Scanning
One agricultural network was 5 times larger than earlier estimates, and the fields may be an early source of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.
Foretelling Forest Death from Above
A satellite-based early-warning signal may spot the start of a forest’s decline and give forest managers more time to save its life.
Wildfires Affect Water Resources Long After the Smoke Clears
Wildfires affect watersheds in myriad ways, from reducing evapotranspiration to changing soil repellencies, but new research suggests impacts on snowpack and runoff are the most significant.
Ocean-Based Actions Provide Big Opportunities to Curb Emissions
A new report outlines key areas to help mitigate emissions, including increased renewable energy, more efficient ocean-based transport, and advances in managing fisheries and aquaculture.
Freshwater Pools Show Antarctica Is More Vulnerable Than We Thought
East Antarctica’s lakes cluster in patterns similar to those on Greenland’s ice sheet, which is melting rapidly.
Heat Waves Are Blowing in the Wind
New research indicates that droughts in far-off places contribute to the amount of heat transported to regions experiencing heat waves.
Human Activity Outpaces Volcanoes, Asteroids in Releasing Deep Carbon
Humanity’s carbon emissions are, by far, the largest disturbance to Earth’s steady state carbon cycle.
Nuclear Winter May Bring a Decade of Destruction
New climate models present a grim prediction of what would happen worldwide after a nuclear war between the United States and Russia.
