Soil erosion from economic development sent sediments into the South China Sea—and into coral skeletons.
Southeast Asia
Extreme Wildfires Make Their Own Weather
Extreme fires in the western United States and Southeast Asia influenced the local weather in ways that make fires and smoke pollution worse.
Transient Mantle Flow Triggers Morphotectonic Activity in Asia
Changes in mantle dynamics following the Australian collision in southeast Asia triggered fast and intense morphotectonic activity at the surface.
Satellites Spy on Sand Mining in the Mekong
Concrete, used in everything from streets to skyscrapers, needs sand, often mined from active rivers in developing countries with little oversight. Researchers can now use satellites to keep watch.
Fires Lit for Agriculture Boost Air Pollution in Southeast Asia
Reducing fires lit for agricultural management and deforestation, which unduly affect poorer populations, could help prevent 59,000 premature deaths per year.
SE Asia Peatlands Subsidence Tied to Drainage Density
Human-made channelization significantly accelerates peat decomposition and drives ground-surface deformation in tropical wetlands.
What Causes Centennial Changes in the Indonesian Throughflow?
Transient long-term changes in the strength of the Indonesian Throughflow are unexpectedly linked to circulation changes in the remote high-latitude North Atlantic.
Will Rising Temperatures Make Rice Too Toxic?
Greenhouse experiments reveal how higher temperatures act to elevate arsenic levels in rice and may help focus efforts to solve a crisis threatening food systems around the world.
A Golden Opportunity to Save Shwedagon Pagoda’s Acclaimed Dome
The dome is replaced every 5 years, and researchers are studying how to make the gold more durable.