Injection of wastewater into shallow wells is meant to filter nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus out of the wastewater. But a new study suggests that nutrients aren’t entirely eliminated—and may be polluting coastal waters.
ecosystems
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Underwater Glacier-Guarding Walls Could Have Unintended Consequences
Although they would likely impede the warm currents that melt glaciers, such walls would also likely block fish migration and nutrient upwelling, harming marine ecosystems and Greenland fisheries.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Mysteriously Bright Waters near Antarctica Explained
Shiny-shelled diatoms make a remote part of the Southern Ocean appear especially reflective in satellite imagery.
Posted inNews
A Debate over Wakes in the Land of 10,000 Lakes
Wakeboats are turning Minnesota’s lakes into summertime surf spots, but the artificial chop can shake up the lake bed, too. New wake data can help communities plan for responsible recreation.
Posted inNews
Nitrogen Needs Could Be Limiting Nature’s Carbon Capacity
A new study suggests that past calculations of biological nitrogen fixation were overestimated by up to 66%—and that farms growing nitrogen-fixing crops may be filling in the gaps, for better or worse.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
In the Arctic, Consequences of Heat Waves Linger
The aftermath of a historic 2020 heat wave could still be felt in Siberia a year later.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Where the Pigs and Buffalo Roam, the Wetlands They do Bemoan
A novel fenced enclosure study demonstrates the heavy toll that invasive ungulates have on greenhouse gas emissions from coastal wetlands on Indigenous lands in Australia.
Posted inNews
California’s Getting an Earlier Start to Wildfire Season
Human-caused climate change has pushed the onset of fire season in the state to as much as 46 days earlier than it was 30 years ago.
Posted inNews
Warming Winters Sabotage Trees’ Carbon Uptake
In temperate forests, the biomass-building benefits of warmer growing seasons are offset by damaging variability in winter weather—a disparity that climate models may miss.