Environment

Assessing how climate change will affect different regions usually requires running a complex chain of models. While this approach provides valuable insights, it is expensive and can cover only a limited set of scenarios and model runs. Together with partners, IIASA researchers have developed a faster alternative that uses available... Read more

In August 2023, the German research vessel METEOR set sail on Expedition M192 to the Greek island of Milos with Dr. Solveig Bühring as chief scientist. The mission was to locate and investigate previously unknown hydrothermal systems. Now, three years later, a new study highlights the surprising discoveries resulting from... Read more

For lakes across the Northern Hemisphere, winter ice is more than a frozen surface. It is a seasonal regulator that shapes underwater ecosystems and energy balance. But as the planet warms, this frozen season is disappearing faster than expected.... Read more

A research team has, for the first time, demonstrated the crucial role that restoring transportation networks (such as roads and railways) plays in rebuilding regional economies and helping residents recover their livelihoods after a major disaster. The study was published in Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice.... Read more

Climate drives vegetation patterns across the Henan section of China's Yellow River Basin, research in the International Journal of Environmental Engineering shows. However, expanding agriculture and urbanization have a detrimental effect on plant diversity in heavily developed areas, according to the study. The findings are based on satellite observations and... Read more

Deploying ocean iron fertilization—a strategy for carbon dioxide capture—in higher latitudes rather than near the equator could reduce environmental impacts while still achieving removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, according to a modeling study published in Nature. The findings offer insight into best practices for maximizing carbon dioxide removal... Read more

New research from the University of Cambridge offers an easy and readily available solution using AI and satellite data. In a paper published in the journal Science of Remote Sensing, researchers used embeddings by Tessera, a geospatial foundation model, to successfully map tree species across the Trentino region of the... Read more

Towering explosions, flowing bright red lava and heroic scientists battling to save communities at risk have become the defining image of volcanoes in popular culture, from disaster films to epic blockbusters. New University of Bristol–led research has found these cinematic portrayals create a distorted view of how volcanoes behave in... Read more

Researchers at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and Florida State University's Resilient Infrastructure and Disaster Response Center have identified how hurricane flooding can affect health long after a storm. In research published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, the researchers identified the factors most likely to create hazardous respiratory conditions... Read more

For communities across the Western Cape, cut-off low weather systems are a familiar threat. They can dump torrents of rain in a matter of hours, flooding roads, damaging homes and infrastructure, and, in the worst cases, causing loss of life. What scientists have long wanted to understand is why some... Read more

Extreme urban flooding is a growing challenge under climate change, threatening residents, infrastructure and urban systems. However, traditional emergency planning often relies on static population data and fixed facilities, failing to capture how people move during disasters.... Read more

Wetland restoration is often promoted as a definitive way to support wildlife, improve water quality and help store carbon. However, new research from McGill University suggests the overall climate picture is more complicated. In a study of human-made marshes along the Bay of Fundy, researchers found that parts of these... Read more

Just over half of England has been declared to be in drought after "record-low rainfall and exceptionally high temperatures," the U.K. government said Wednesday.... Read more

In a world searching for more sustainable ways to manage waste, the promise of turning "trash into treasure" is hard to ignore. Take nitrate pollution, for example. Every year, nitrogen fertilizers help feed billions of people. But not all of that nitrogen stays where it is needed. Some is washed... Read more

The wildfire that engulfed Spain's Ávila region, northwest of the capital, Madrid, is now considered the largest in the country's modern history, with around 50,000 hectares (193 square miles) burned, the government said this week.... Read more