Showing 20 articles starting at article 341
< Previous 20 articles Next 20 articles >
Categories: Environmental: Biodiversity, Environmental: Wildfires
Published Simultaneous large wildfires will increase in Western U.S.
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Simultaneous outbreaks of large wildfires will become more frequent in the Western United States this century as the climate warms, putting major strains on efforts to fight fires, according to new research. The most severe wildfire seasons will become at least twice as frequent.
Published Invertebrate biodiversity is improving in England's rivers, long-term trends show
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Rivers across England have seen a significant improvement in river invertebrate biodiversity since 1989, shows a new study.
Published Extreme fires and heavy rainfall driving platypuses from their homes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Australia's emerging pattern of severe mega bushfires and heavy rainfall may be driving platypuses from their homes, a new study has shown. Analysis of platypus DNA in rivers and creek water samples collected before and after the Black Summer 2019-2020 megafires suggest Australia's beloved semi-aquatic monotremes might be abandoning severely bushfire-affected areas for up to 18 months after a fire, especially if heavy rainfall has followed the fire.
Published Carbon-capture tree plantations threaten tropical biodiversity for little gain, ecologists say
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The increasingly urgent climate crisis has led to a boom in commercial tree plantations in an attempt to offset excess carbon emissions. However, authors argue that these carbon-offset plantations might come with costs for biodiversity and other ecosystem functions. Instead, the authors say we should prioritize conserving and restoring intact ecosystems.
Published Controlled burns help prevent wildfires; Climate change is limiting their use
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Climate change means the American West will have 17% fewer safe days to light prescribed fires for wildfire management, according to new research. Winter, however, will see a net 4% increase in the number of favorable days. Implementing controlled burns in the West will require changes to policy and the availability of firefighters.
Published Improved mangrove conservation could yield cash, carbon, coastal benefits
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A shift in the way we think about the benefits mangroves provide to coastal regions could yield significant economic and biodiversity gains and protect millions from flooding, research has revealed.
Published Climate and human land use both play roles in Pacific island wildfires past and present
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source It’s long been understood that human settlement contributes to conditions that make Pacific Islands more susceptible to wildfires, such as the devastating Aug. 8 event that destroyed the Maui community of Lahaina. But a new study from fire scientist shows that climate is an undervalued part of the equation.
Published A turtle time capsule: DNA found in ancient shell
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Paleontologists discover possible DNA remains in fossil turtle that lived 6 million years ago in Panama, where continents collide.
Published Plastic cloud: New study analyzes airborne microplastics in clouds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Plastic waste that accumulates on land eventually ends up in the ocean as microplastics. However, it is now speculated that microplastics are also present in the atmosphere, contained in clouds. In a new study, researchers analyzed cloud water samples from high-altitude mountains in Japan to ascertain the amount of microplastics in them. They also shed light on how these airborne particles influence cloud formation and their negative impact on the climate.
Published Protecting lands slows biodiversity loss among vertebrates by five times
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Protecting large swaths of Earth's land can help stem the tide of biodiversity loss -- especially when those protected areas are in less disturbed landscapes and in countries with effective national governance. A new study looked at how amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds fared in protected versus unprotected areas worldwide. Vertebrate abundance decreased five times more slowly inside protected areas, offering much-needed support for the United Nations' '30 by 30' conservation initiative.
Published Scientists reveal what fuels wildfires in Sierra Nevada Mountains
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Wildfires in California, exacerbated by human-driven climate change, are getting more severe. To better manage them, there's a growing need to know exactly what fuels the blazes after they ignite. Scientists now report that one of the chief fuels of wildfires in California's Sierra Nevada mountains is the decades-old remains of large trees.
Published By air, rain and land: How microbes return after a wildfire
(via sciencedaily.com) Ecological disturbances like wildfires disrupt microbial communities. Researchers found that dispersal played a pivotal role in re-establishing surface-level communities.
Published Ocean acidification makes ecologically important seaweed species fragile
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Ocean acidification will likely almost triple by the end of the century -- a drastic environmental change that could impact important marine species like fleshy seaweeds, algae that grow vertically and promote biodiversity in more than a third of the world's coastline. To get a better idea of how seaweeds might fare in a rapidly acidifying ocean, a team of marine scientists subjected a common fleshy seaweed species to the acidification levels expected by the end of the century. They report that increased acidification impacted the seaweed's chemical balance, made both its structure and its tissues weaker, and reduced its overall chances of survival.
Published Greenwashing a threat to a 'nature positive' world
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have identified the threat greenwashing poses to a 'nature positive' world, one where environmental decline halts and biodiversity outcomes improve.
Published Understanding the sex life of coral gives hope of clawing it back from the path to extinction
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have mapped the reproductive strategies and life cycle of an endangered coral species, the purple cauliflower soft coral Dendronephthya australis. Lab-grown larvae have been successfully introduced back into the wild.
Published New study finds that sewage release is worse for rivers than agriculture
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Sewage pollution, whether treated or untreated, was found to be the primary driver of increased nutrients, algae, and sewage fungus in rivers. Sewage discharge also radically altered plant, animal, and microbe communities, increasing the abundance of harmful species. Run-off from agriculture was also found to lower water quality and be particularly harmful for sensitive insect groups.
Published How to tackle the global deforestation crisis
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research examines the 'revolution' in the study of deforestation brought about by satellites, and analyzing which kinds of policies might limit climate-altering deforestation.
Published Socially vulnerable populations are disproportionately exposed to wildfires in the Western US
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source People experiencing a high degree of social vulnerability are also more exposed to wildfires in Oregon and Washington as wildfire risk increases, a new study shows.
Published Alarming results from world first study of two decades of global smoke pollution
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The world's first study of the increase in pollution from landscape fires across the globe over the past two decades reveals that over 2 billion people are exposed to at least one day of potentially health-impacting environmental hazard annually -- a figure that has increased by 6.8 per cent in the last ten years.
Published Prehistoric fish fills 100 million year gap in evolution of the skull
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source X-rays of an ancient jawless fish shows earliest-known example of internal cartilage skull, unlike that of any other known vertebrate.