As climate change continues, parts of the Earth system such as ice sheets, frozen soils, or the Amazon rainforest could shift—some quickly, some slowly—after crossing key thresholds or tipping points.
soils
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Tracking Heavy Metal Accumulation in the Nile Delta
Sediment measurements show that flow alterations and discharges are driving increasing concentrations of multiple heavy metals in the Nile Delta, threatening ecosystems, agriculture, and human health.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Suivie de l’accumulation des métaux lourds dans le Delta du Nil
Les analyses de sédiments montrent que la réutilisation de l’eau non traitée et la construction de barrages entraînent l’augmentation des concentrations de métaux lourds dans le Delta du Nil, menaçant gravement les écosystèmes, l’agriculture et la santé humaine.
Posted inNews
Veterinary Antibiotics Reduce Soil Carbon Sequestration Capacity
Livestock grazing areas sequester less carbon than those under wild herbivores.
Posted inNews
Roughed-Up Hillsides Reveal Tree-Toppling Winds
Researchers are reading pockmarks in the forest floor to study the uprooting of trees in southern Indiana and estimate how fast winds howled through the forest in the past.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Much Greenhouse Gas Do Tropical Soils Emit?
New research found that tropical soils emit nitrogen mostly as inert dinitrogen rather than as greenhouse gases.
Posted inNews
Satellite Data Reveal Uptick in Cover Cropping on Farms
Over the course of a decade, farmers growing corn and soybeans in the U.S. Midwest increased their adoption of cover cropping—a tenet of so-called conservation agriculture—by fourfold.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
The World’s Roots Are Getting Shallower
Root-filled soils are hot spots of nutrient cycling and carbon storage. New research finds that the world has lost millions of cubic meters of rooted soil volume—and we’re on track to lose much more.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Widespread “Forever Chemicals” in Subsurface Environments
Massive use of materials containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in commercial and industrial sectors has led to their widespread occurrence in subsurface environments.
Posted inNews
Wetlands on the Farm: Potent, Nutrient-Capturing Tools in (Relatively) Small Packages
Constructed wetlands can significantly reduce water pollution from tile-drained farms.