Scottish forests protective forts for red squirrels
Twenty natural strongholds would protect red squirrels in Scotland even if grey squirrels were to run rampant across the country, a new study shows......»»
Maps developed with artificial intelligence confirm low levels of phosphorus in Amazonian soil
As the impacts of climate change increasingly affect the daily lives of residents in several countries, including Brazil, the resilience of forests, especially tropical ones such as the Amazon, has become a frequent topic of research. In addition to.....»»
Reforestation study finds only a few tree species can survive a century of rapid climate change
Europe's forests have already been severely affected by climate change. Thousands of hectares of trees have already died due to drought and bark beetles. Scientists from the University of Vienna and the Technical University of Munich TUM have now inv.....»»
Scientists use "leaf glow" to understand changing climate
New University of Minnesota research suggests "leaf glow" provides vital information on vegetation dynamics in Arctic and boreal ecosystems like Minnesota's forests and wetlands, which are among the fastest warming in the world. Using remote sensing.....»»
Did climate chaos cultivate or constrain 2023"s greenery?
In the ongoing quest to track the progression of climate change, scientists frequently examine the state of our planet's vegetation—forests, grasslands, agricultural lands, and beyond......»»
The UK"s Climate Change Act, once the envy of the world, faces a stress test
The Scottish government's decision to row back on its 2030 climate pledge illustrates the crux of any target: it's easy to set one with a big political flourish, but harder to follow through with a careful plan to achieve it......»»
Australia"s tall, wet forests were not open and park-like when colonists arrived—and we shouldn"t be burning them
Some reports and popular books, such as Bill Gammage's Biggest Estate on Earth, have argued that extensive areas of Australia's forests were kept open through frequent burning by First Nations people. Advocates for widespread thinning and burning of.....»»
Diversity and productivity go branch-in-branch: Scientists share which forests can adapt to climate change
Climate change can be characterized as the Grim Reaper or some other harbinger of dire times for humanity and natural environment, including forests. Previous studies reporting a decline in forest productivity due to climate warming and long-term dro.....»»
A key gene helps explain how the ability to glide has emerged over-and-over during marsupial evolution
People say "When pigs fly" to describe the impossible. But even if most mammals are landlubbers, the ability to glide or fly has evolved again and again during mammalian evolution, in species ranging from bats to flying squirrels. How did that come a.....»»
Future hurricanes could compromise New England forests" ability to store and sequester carbon
Nature-based climate solutions can help mitigate climate change, especially in forested regions capable of storing and sequestering vast amounts of carbon. New research published in Global Change Biology indicates that a single hurricane in New Engla.....»»
Laser-treated cork absorbs oil for carbon-neutral ocean cleanup
Oil spills are deadly disasters for ocean ecosystems. They can have lasting impacts on fish and marine mammals for decades and wreak havoc on coastal forests, coral reefs, and the surrounding land. Chemical dispersants are often used to break down oi.....»»
Researchers uncover details of how bacteria build protective barriers, may inform new antibiotics
Yale researchers have uncovered new details on how bacteria like E. coli build their protective barriers, which will inform new antibiotic development......»»
Scotland is ditching its flagship 2030 climate goal—why legally binding targets really matter
The Scottish government has rescinded its 2030 target of a 75% emissions cut to greenhouse gas emissions, relative to 1990. The target was statutory, meaning it had been set in law in the Emissions Reduction Targets Act of 2019......»»
Scientists discover forests that may resist climate change
While it's common knowledge that mountaintops are colder than the valleys below, a new University of Vermont (UVM) study is flipping the script on what we know about forests and climate......»»
Unique field study shows how climate change affects fire-impacted forests
During the unusually dry year of 2018, Sweden was hit by numerous forest fires. A research team led from Lund University in Sweden has investigated how climate change affects recently burned boreal forests and their ability to absorb carbon dioxide......»»
Study finds iron-rich enamel protects, but doesn"t color, rodents" orange-brown incisors
Chattering squirrels, charming coypus, and tail-slapping beavers—along with some other rodents—have orange-brown front teeth. Researchers have published high-resolution images of rodent incisors in ACS Nano, providing an atomic-level view of the.....»»
From tape measures to space lasers: Quantifying biomass of the world"s tallest forests
In this era of accelerating climate crisis, accounting for all aspects of Earth's carbon cycle is a crucial task. The magnitude of atmospheric carbon burden means trees and forests are limited but important instruments among a suite of mitigation opt.....»»
The big dry: Forests and shrublands are dying in parched Western Australia
Perth has just had its driest six months on record, while Western Australia sweltered through its hottest summer on record. Those records are remarkable in their own right. But these records are having real consequences......»»
How do trees survive dry and hot summers? Leaf lifespan and growth recovery are key
Climate change has an effect on forests and trees. They suffer from heat waves and periods of drought. But although we see tree mortality increase as a result, much is still unknown about the underlying mechanisms......»»
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.....»»
Ghost roads speed destruction of Asia-Pacific tropical forests, finds study
Researchers mapping tropical forests have found many more roads than declared by official sources, which is raising fears of a huge increase in environmental degradation as the pace of road building increases......»»