Scientists evaluate the economic and environmental impacts of a warmer climate on European countries, finding a range of effects on tourism, electricity demand, and ecosystem production.
ecosystems
The Upside to a “Bad” Ozone Precursor
In Sweden’s wet heathland, scientists see how a sensitive ecosystem adapts to rising global temperatures.
Nutrient-Rich Water Around Seamounts Lures Top Predators
At an Indian Ocean marine refuge, tides drive cold water laden with nutrients onto the tops of underwater mountains, where it sustains a long food chain that culminates in sharks, tuna, and seabirds.
Urban Agriculture Could Provide Billions in Ecosystem Services
Expanding agriculture efforts in cities could improve food security, ecosystem health, and more.
Calm Waters off Hawaii Harbor a “Nursery” of Sea Life
Ocean slicks—naturally occurring bands of smooth water—are home to an astounding diversity of fish larvae and other marine life, researchers show.
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.
Scientists Probe Water Inside Leaves via Satellite
Improving satellite-based studies of vegetation optical depth, a critical ecosystem indicator.
After Obliteration, How Long Until Life Returned?
By studying the Chicxulub crater associated with the extinction of more than 75% of species then on Earth, researchers have begun to fill in a timeline for life’s rebound after the cataclysm.