A new study reevaluates the use of vapor pressure deficit, or VPD, in climate models to predict increases in area burned by wildfire across the U.S. West.
Health & Ecosystems
Posted inNews
Vegetation Moves Upslope Across the Himalayas
The vegetation line in places like Nepal and Bhutan is shifting upward by meters per year, with implications for how water moves through the planet’s “Third Pole.”
Posted inNews
Have We Been Focusing on the Wrong Ocean Pollutants? This Study Maps What We’ve Been Missing
A global analysis of more than 2,300 seawater samples found that largely unmonitored industrial compounds are widespread across oceans and may be changing crucial biological and carbon cycling processes.
Posted inNews
Tree Lines Are Migrating. Some Up, Some Down.
Between 2000 and 2020, 42% of tree lines around the world crept upward, largely because of climate change. But 25% moved downhill, seemingly because of factors such as land use changes and wildfires.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Want to Predict Wildfire Severity? Look to the State of Vegetation
A new study connects satellite data on vegetation condition, topography, and weather conditions to examine the predicted versus actual burn severity of the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Managed Agriculture Hinders Predictability of Critical Zone Features
Intensively managed agricultural sites show behavioral shifts of the critical zone system and subsystems thus impacting predictability.
Posted inFeatures
Chemical Companies Are Churning Out New PFAS. Where in the World Are They Ending Up?
Bans on older versions of “forever chemicals” seem to be working. But emerging variants behave in ways that scientists are only beginning to pin down.
Posted inNews
As the Coal Industry Fades, Life Expectancies in Coal Country Shift
Coal mining brings a slew of risks to communities, but “being employed is good for your health.”
Posted inNews
Antibiotic Resistance Might Get a Boost from Droughts
Drought has the potential to turn normal soils into perfect breeding grounds for antibiotic-resistant bacteria, new research has found.
Posted inNews
Tracing the Path of PFAS Across Antarctica
A new study examines the presence of forever chemicals in one of Earth’s most remote regions.