Amazon deforestation could mean droughts for western U.S.

Amanda LewanEcosystems

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

EarthzineEcosystems

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.

Microbiomes at the Roots: A New Look at Forest Ecology

EarthzineEcosystems

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

EarthzineEcosystems

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

kannappanEcosystems

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.