On the brink: Brazil"s coastal rainforest
Together with Brazilian colleagues, Senckenberg scientist Raffael Ernst investigated the impact of current land use on the bird and amphibian fauna of the Atlantic rainforest in southeastern Brazil. In their study, published in the journal Biological.....»»
Light pollution affects coastal ecosystems, too—this underwater "canary" is warning of the impacts
In the early 20th century, canaries were used as early warning systems in coal mines to alert miners to rising levels of carbon monoxide......»»
Environmental concerns raised by rocket flights over San Diego County
Plans by SpaceX and other companies to boost the number of rocket launches sometimes seen streaking across San Diego County's skies have prompted the California Coastal Commission to question the environmental effects......»»
Tropical forests can"t recover naturally without fruit eating birds, carbon recovery study shows
New research from the Crowther Lab at ETH Zurich illustrates a critical barrier to natural regeneration of tropical forests. Their models—from ground-based data gathered in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil—show that when wild tropical birds move fre.....»»
Tandem heat waves, storm surges increasingly batter coasts: Study
Coastal communities need to prepare for simultaneous extreme weather events as heat waves increasingly overlap with surges in sea levels due to climate change, a study published on Thursday warned......»»
Scientists find vast numbers of illegal "ghost roads" used to crack open pristine rainforest
One of Brazil's top scientists, Eneas Salati, once said, "The best thing you could do for the Amazon rainforest is to blow up all the roads." He wasn't joking. And he had a point......»»
SpaceX is launching more rockets from a military base: Can the Coastal Commission impose a limit?
SpaceX has significantly increased the frequency of its rocket launches from a Santa Barbara County military base, and its plans to add even more have raised concerns by the California Coastal Commission over the impacts on the environment and nearby.....»»
Traces of DNA in the stomachs of predatory snails provide new insights into the ecology of placozoans
Placozoans are among the simplest animals and occur worldwide in coastal waters. It was previously assumed that the tiny creatures, which measure just a few millimeters, live either on hard surfaces—such as rocks, corals, and mangrove roots—or fl.....»»
San Francisco Bay study highlights value of salt marsh restoration for flood risk reduction and climate resilience
Salt marsh restoration can mitigate flood risk and bolster community resilience to climate change in our local waterways, according to a recent study published in Scientific Reports by a postdoctoral fellow with UC Santa Cruz's Center for Coastal Cli.....»»
Report links H&M, Zara to environmental destruction in Brazil
Fast fashion giants H&M and Zara have used cotton from farms linked to massive deforestation, land-grabbing, corruption and violence in Brazil, a report by the environmental group Earthsight said Thursday......»»
What to Know About Elon Musk’s Battle With a Brazilian Judge Over Speech on Social Media
A Supreme Court judge in Brazil is taking on disinformation—and going toe-to-toe with X owner Elon Musk, who claims to champion free speech. When billionaire Elon Musk acquired Twitter—now X—in 2022, some feared that t.....»»
Study identifies increased threat to coastlines from concurrent heat waves and sea level rises
Concurrent occurrences of heat waves and extreme short-term sea level rises at the same coastal locations significantly increased between 1998 and 2017 when compared to the preceding 20 years, reports a study published in Communications Earth & Envir.....»»
Scientists are grasping at straws while trying to protect infant corals from hungry fish
South Florida researchers trying to prevent predatory fish from devouring laboratory-grown coral are grasping at biodegradable straws in an effort to restore what some call the rainforest of the sea......»»
Study on climate-damaging palm oil production in Indonesia shows push for industrialization
Understanding governments' motives is crucial to strengthening climate action. Indonesia, the world's fourth largest country by population, has the biggest rainforests after Brazil and the Congo Basin. But it has cleared huge areas in the past 20 yea.....»»
A natural touch for coastal defense: Hybrid solutions may offer more benefits in lower-risk areas
Common "hard" coastal defenses, like concrete sea walls, might struggle to keep up with increasing climate risks. A new study published in Nature Communications shows that combining them with nature-based solutions could, in some contexts, create def.....»»
Coastal wetlands can"t keep pace with sea-level rise, and infrastructure is leaving them nowhere to go
Wetlands have flourished along the world's coastlines for thousands of years, playing valuable roles in the lives of people and wildlife. They protect the land from storm surge, stop seawater from contaminating drinking water supplies, and create hab.....»»
Elon Musk threatens to disobey court order over banned profiles
Brazil threatens to regulate social media owned by "billionaires domiciled abroad." Enlarge (credit: Anadolu Agency / Contributor | Anadolu) Brazil’s attorney general has demanded “urgent regulation” of social medi.....»»
Mercury contamination rampant in Brazil Indigenous group: Study
Researchers in the Brazilian Amazon found universal mercury contamination among members of the Yanomami Indigenous group living in a region awash in illegal gold mining, said a study published Thursday, warning of devastating health impacts......»»
South Australian coastal dunes are on the march
Coastal transgressive dunefields are on the march in South Australia—retreating inland from an angry ocean at an alarming rate. Yet while this occurs in plain sight, communities are largely oblivious to long-term coastal changes, and Flinders Unive.....»»
Molecular biology technique allows for discovery of novel targets for candidate vaccines against schistosomiasis
Researchers in Brazil have used an innovative technique in molecular biology to identify targets for candidate vaccines against Schistosoma mansoni, the parasite that causes schistosomiasis......»»
Ocean forests: How "floating" mangroves could provide a broad range of ecological and social benefits
The 2022 report "The State of the World's Mangroves" estimates that since 1996, 5,245 square kilometers of mangroves have been lost due to human activities such as agriculture, logging, tourism development, coastal aquaculture and climate change, and.....»»