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Categories: Environmental: Ecosystems, Environmental: Wildfires
Published Arctic carbon conveyor belt discovered


Every year, the cross-shelf transport of carbon-rich particles from the Barents and Kara Seas could bind up to 3.6 million metric tons of CO2 in the Arctic deep sea for millennia. In this region alone, a previously unknown transport route uses the biological carbon pump and ocean currents to absorb atmospheric CO2 on the scale of Iceland's total annual emissions, as researchers report.
Published Crown-of-thorns seastar from Red Sea is endemic species


Researchers have identified coral-eating crown-of-thorns seastars in the Red Sea as distinct species that occurs only in this location.
Published Deadly coral disease in Florida, Caribbean may be transported in ship hulls, study finds


A new study suggests that ships may be spreading a deadly coral disease across Florida and the Caribbean. The findings could help establish testing and treatment methods to mitigate the risk of further disease spread.
Published Arctic vegetation has a major impact on warming


An international team of research scientists has documented the central role of vegetation for Arctic warming. The new results allow us to make more precise climate predictions, with the researchers pointing out that current models remain flawed.
Published Exploring the possibility of extraterrestrial life living in caves


For millennia, caves have served as shelters for prehistoric humans. Caves have also intrigued scholars from early Chinese naturalists to Charles Darwin. A cave ecologist has been in and out of these subterranean ecosystems, examining the unique life forms -- and unique living conditions -- that exist in Earth's many caves. But what does that suggest about caves on other planetary bodies? In two connected studies, engineers, astrophysicists, astrobiologists and astronauts lay out the research that needs to be done to get us closer to answering the old-age question about life beyond Earth.
Published Ray of hope? One place where reef manta rays are thriving


Over a decade, manta ray populations increased significantly in Raja Ampat archipelago in Indonesia, highlighting the importance of long-term conservation and management measures such as well-enforced Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and fisheries regulations, says a researcher.
Published Desert dust collected from glacier ice helps document climate change


Researchers are using dust trapped in glacier ice in Tibet to document past changes in Earth's intricate climate system -- and maybe one day help predict future changes.
Published Researchers produce first-ever 'family tree' for aquarium-bred corals


The first-ever family tree for aquarium-bred corals provides insights for maximizing genetic diversity and adaptability in corals bred for conservation.
Published Scientists say sea-level changes formed Australia's K'Gari Sand Island, Great Barrier Reef


Researchers report evidence the formation of K'gari and the Great Barrier Reef are linked to a change in the magnitude of sea-level rise and fall due to major climate feedback changes during the Middle Pleistocene Transition.
Published Half of replanted tropical trees don't survive



On average, about half of trees planted in tropical and sub-tropical forest restoration efforts do not survive more than five years, but there is enormous variation in outcomes, new research has found.
Published Study uncovers widespread and ongoing clearcutting of Swedish old forests


Almost one fourth of Sweden's last unprotected old-growth forest was logged between 2003 and 2019. At this rate, all of these ecologically unique and valuable forests will be lost in about 50 years. These findings add to the growing body of evidence for widespread cryptic forest degradation across the global north.
Published Tropical cyclones act as 'massive heat pumps' that fuel extreme heat


Extreme heat often follows tropical cyclones, which can complicate disaster recovery even further, researchers have found.
Published Sea urchins keep on trucking while other marine life languishes in the Florida Keys


A litany of negative environmental pressures have had little to no effect on sand dollars and heart urchins in the Florida Keys, a new study shows. Scientists arrived at this unexpected conclusion after surveying 27 sites along a 20-mile stretch of coast near Long Key island. Five of the seven most common species known to inhabit the Florida Keys were present and accounted for in the survey and formed robust populations at varying depths.
Published The importance of light for grassland plant diversity


Plants need light to grow. However, due to excess nutrients and/or the absence of herbivores less light can reach lower vegetation layers in grasslands. Consequently, few fast-growing species dominate and plant diversity declines. So far, this relationship has been established indirectly through experiments, but never directly by means of experimentally adding light in the field. Now biologists have been able to experimentally demonstrate the dominant role of light competition.
Published Invasive fruit fly may pose threat to forest ecosystems


The invasive spotted wing drosophila (SWD) is a well-known pest in agriculture. A recent study by Swiss scientists now shows that the forest ecosystem is also affected by this alien insect. SWD infests the fruits of various forest plants and competes with other fruit-eating species. The decay of fruits attacked by SWD leads to a loss of resources, which can cause considerable ecological damage.
Published Researchers design model that predicts which buildings will survive wildfire


Wildfires may seem unpredictable, leaving random ruin in their wake. Engineers have now developed a model that can predict how wildfire will impact a community down to which buildings will burn. They say predicting damage to the built environment is essential to developing fire mitigation strategies and steps for recovery.
Published Antarctic summer thaw starts earlier, ends later than previously believed


New research changes our understanding of seasonal thawing in parts of Antarctica, as scientists have learned that summer thawing occurs nearly a month earlier, and stays thawed for a full two months longer than previously believed.
Published Socio-economic factors shown to drive mangrove losses and gains


New research into the drivers of mangrove loss over the past 20 years has revealed that most of the degradation can be attributed to socio-economic and biophysical factors, with mangrove cover increasing in some areas.
Published Vegetation regulates energy exchange in the Arctic


Global warming is changing the Arctic by causing permafrost thaw, glacier melt, droughts, fires and changes in vegetation. These developments are strongly linked to the energy exchange between land and the atmosphere. Researchers have now shown that different plant communities in the tundra play a key role in this energy exchange but are not taken into account in climate models.
Published NASA laser project benefits animal researchers


NASA's Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) mission can provide valuable information about the world's forests for wildlife scientists.