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Ecological Assemblages More Resistant to Environmental Change than Species Compositions

The study sheds new light upon an ongoing debate among conservation biologists: whether we should conserve sets of endangered species, or whether we should preserve ecosystem functioning, that is, the processes inherent to ecosystems, including those that benefit humans - also called ecosystem services.

16 Apr 2021

Cultural Burning Reduced Large-Scale Wildfire Activity on the Fish Lake Plateau

If you were to visit the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau a thousand years ago, you'd find conditions remarkably familiar to the present. The climate was warm, but drier than today.

15 Apr 2021

Extreme Storm Flooding Polluted Coral Reefs More than 100 Miles Offshore

Runoff from Houston's 2016 Tax Day flood and 2017's Hurricane Harvey flood carried human waste onto coral reefs more than 100 miles offshore in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, according to a Rice University study.

8 Apr 2021

Aquatic Ecosystems Contribute to Half of Global Methane Emissions

Direct human alterations to natural aquatic ecosystems can increase methane emissions, a new study has found.

8 Apr 2021

Researchers Highlight Ways to Alleviate Anthropogenic Noise Affecting Marine Animals

Humans have altered the ocean soundscape by drowning out natural noises relied upon by many marine animals, from shrimp to sharks

7 Apr 2021

Increased Lightning Storms may Amplify Arctic Warming

Back in 2019, the National Weather Service in Alaska had reportedly detected the first-familiar lightning strikes within 300 miles of the North Pole.

6 Apr 2021

More Attention Needed on the Impact of Sunscreen on World’s Coral Reefs

Researchers from the University of York note that more studies are required on the environmental effect of sunscreen on the coral reefs across the globe.

1 Apr 2021

Invisible Groundwater Discharges may Drive Nitrogen in Coastal Waters

Water quality management in the ocean often targets visible pollution sources such as sewage, rivers or ships. A new global study, led by researchers at the University of Gothenburg, reveals that invisible groundwater discharges may be just as important driving nitrogen into coastal waters.

31 Mar 2021

Food Waste Helps Secure Future Fish

Human food scraps could be used to create high-quality food for farmed fish, leading to a more sustainable global fish economy, according to a team of researchers at The University of Western Australia.

31 Mar 2021

Narwal's Tusk Provides a Window into Changing Climatic Conditions in the Arctic

In the Arctic, climate change and pollution are the biggest threats to top predators like narwals. Studying the animals' tusks reveals that diet and exposure to pollution have shifted over the past half century in response to sea-ice decline. Human emissions have also led to a sharp rise in the presence of mercury in recent years, according to an international team of researchers.

30 Mar 2021