Originally Published by Science Daily – Total deforestation of the Amazon could mean 20 percent less rain for the coastal Northwest and a 50 percent reduction in the Sierra Nevada snowpack, resulting in water and food shortages, and a greater risk of forest fires, new research shows.
After Sandy: Why Rebuilding The Coast Is Doomed to Failure
Originally Published by Yale Environment – One year after Hurricane Sandy devastated parts of the U.S. East Coast, the government is spending billions to replenish beaches that will only be swallowed again by rising seas and future storms. It’s time to develop coastal policies that take into account new climate realities.
Conservationists push to preserve prairies of North and South Dakota
Originally Published by The Guardian – Farming boom in the Dakotas is resulting in large areas of wetland wildlife habitats being converted to arable.
Microbiomes at the Roots: A New Look at Forest Ecology
Originally Published by Yale Environment – With advances in genetic sequencing technology, scientists are now able to readily identify the microbes living in and around the roots of trees. This information is proving to have important implications for everything from tropical forest restoration to climate change planning.
Kenya discovers huge water source
Originally Published by BBC News — A huge new water source has been discovered in the arid Turkana region of northern Kenya, which could supply the country for 70 years, the government says.
Bear hair study in Banff proves animal highway crossings work
Originally published by High Country News – For three years, researchers from Montana State University spent their summers collecting bear hair. The samples, collected on both sides of the 50 mile stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway that cuts through Banff National Park, prove what the researchers had suspected: wildlife underpasses and bridges were helping enough bears move back and forth across the highway to keep the populations healthy.
Age isn't just a number: New research shows song sparrows are affected by climate change differently depending on age
Originally published by Environmental News Network – New research at the University of California, Davis, and Point Blue Conservation Science shows that song sparrows experience climate change differently at various ages.
Polar Ecosystems Acutely Vulnerable to Sunlight-Driven Tipping Points
Originally published by ScienceDaily – Slight changes in the timing of the annual loss of sea-ice in polar regions could have dire consequences for polar ecosystems, by allowing a lot more sunlight to reach the sea floor.
Tropical Ecosystems Boost Carbon Dioxide as Temperatures Rises
Originally published by ScienceDaily – NASA scientists and an international team of researchers have found tropical ecosystems can generate significant carbon dioxide when temperatures rise, unlike ecosystems in other parts of the world.