Phys.org: Earth science

Satellite-based Earth observation provides a unique and powerful tool in tracking climate adaptation, an international study involving University of Galway researchers has shown.

Mangrove ecosystems rank among the most efficient "blue carbon" systems on Earth, capable of absorbing and storing vast quantities of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). However, mangroves also release methane (CH4), a potent greenhouse gas, potentially offsetting a portion of their climate mitigation benefits.

Currently, scientists struggle to forecast volcano eruption events, as no universally reliable, real-time eruption forecasting framework is available. Instead, researchers often rely on retrospective analysis to evaluate eruptions. And although much has been learned from doing this, it can sometimes introduce biases, such as data snooping, hindsight reinterpretation, and post-eruption model adjustment.

Groundwater rise as a result of climate change poses a significant threat to coastal cities, says University of Rhode Island assistant professor of geosciences Christopher Russoniello. Russoniello and colleagues recently published a commentary piece highlighting hazards that are often overlooked in urban infrastructure.

In mountain regions like the Rockies, headwater streams make up more than 70% of the river network and support the downstream waterways and communities. These headwaters are also home to many forms of aquatic life. While these sources are crucial, very few are monitored, and aspects of their hydrology are not well understood.

Soils release approximately 40–60 petagrams (Pg) of carbon annually into the atmosphere through microbial metabolism. Climate warming is projected to further enhance soil microbial respiration, intensifying positive carbon–climate feedback loops. However, it remains unclear whether this feedback might weaken over several years.

Scientists have developed a new way to represent the world's cities in global climate and Earth system models (GCM & ESMs), offering a more accurate picture of how urban areas are being affected by—and contributing to—climate change.

In the summer of 2022, 20 islands in the Maldives were flooded when a distant swell event in the Indian Ocean coincided with an extremely high tide level.

As global climate talks at COP30 shift from setting lofty targets to transforming the systems that will get us there, Australia has been quietly strengthening its climate resilience rulebook.

"The truth is that we have failed to avoid an overshooting above 1.5°C in the next few years," UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently admitted ahead of the COP30 UN Climate Change Conference.

New research from the University of St Andrews has found that some coastal areas will become much more acidic than previously anticipated. With added atmospheric CO2, these areas are acidifying more quickly than thought, posing an existential threat to coastal economies around the world.

Emissions of the greenhouse gas methane from lakes and reservoirs risk doubling by the end of the century due to climate change, according to a new study from Linköping University, Sweden, and NASA Ames Research Center in the US. This in turn could raise Earth's temperature more than suggested by the UN climate panel IPCC's current worst-case scenario.

Climate change and the associated rising temperatures are melting more and more frozen ground in the Arctic. This dissolved matter contains large amounts of organic carbon which is flowing into the central Arctic Ocean.

A large research study by an international team of scientists led by Christoph Böttner from Aarhus University shows clear evidence of extensive natural hydrocarbon seepage along the Northeast Greenland margin—one of the least explored continental margins on Earth.

Under the influence of global warming, the Arctic is transitioning from a state dominated by multi-year thick ice to a "New Arctic" characterized predominantly by first-year thin ice. This younger ice is more fragile and prone to melting, which not only exacerbates the instability of the ice cover but also introduces new challenges for sea-ice prediction.

When water penetrates rock crevices in permafrost, it transports heat deep underground, where it causes the frozen rock to thaw. Researchers at the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) have explored which processes destabilize rock to the point of collapse using a high-profile example.

New research has revealed for the first time the full extent of how "Artificial Light At Night" (ALAN) is increasing carbon released by plants and animals across continents—without any increase in the carbon they absorb. The result is reduced carbon storage in ecosystems—which has major implications for climate models and global carbon budgets.

Thanks to their use of a unique methodology, a McGill-led research team has obtained new insights into how boulders affect snow melt in mountainous northern environments, with implications for local water resources.

Melting ice in the Arctic is causing an increasing amount of freshwater to enter the North Atlantic, which is expected to result in a weakening of the Atlantic overturning circulation. However, many modeling studies make unrealistic assumptions about how this water enters the ocean. A new study published in Ocean Modelling shows that the timing, location, and source of freshwater input can have a considerable impact on its eventual fate and should therefore be taken into account in future model experiments.

A new paper published in Biological Reviews has revealed the potential of desert ecosystems in the global fight against climate change. The review, led by Prof. Zeng Fanjiang from the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, synthesizes evidence showing that deserts can function as vital carbon sinks through innovative management and technology.