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.
ecosystems
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Scientists Probe Water Inside Leaves via Satellite
Improving satellite-based studies of vegetation optical depth, a critical ecosystem indicator.
Posted inNews
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.
Posted inNews
Major Federal Tropical Research Project to Cease 7 Years Early
The Department of Energy shutters a project aimed at improving climate models less than halfway through the expected decade-long run.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
What Causes Ecological Shifts?
A new information-processing framework helps researchers tease out the factors driving ecological shifts over short timescales.
Posted inScience Updates
Understanding Mountain Lakes in a Changing World
Mountain Lakes and Global Change Workshop; Fort Collins, Colorado, 6–8 March 2017
Posted inNews
Panama Study: Tallest Tropical Trees Died Mostly from Lightning
On Barro Colorado Island in the Panama Canal, scientists map lightning strikes and find that they kill mainly the loftiest trees, likely disturbing the forest ecology.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Coastal Wetlands Effectively Sequester “Blue Carbon”
Mangrove forests, salt marshes, seagrass beds, and the like are carbon storage treasure troves.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
The Future Hangs in the (Carbon) Balance
A new study suggests that Canada’s boreal forests could absorb more carbon than they release as climate change progresses.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Are Studies That Evaluate Ecosystem Services Useful?
Ecologists find flaws in the approach to research that focuses on services ecosystems provide to humans. These flaws limit certain studies’ utility.