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Environment + Sustainability

Aerial view of Lake Tefé during a severe drought, when its waters are low.
Photo Credit
Miguel Monteiro
Severe drought and heat in the central amazon turned Lake Tefé into a shallow spa, killing fish and endangered river dolphins.

Hotter than your average spa: Rising temps in Amazon lakes sound alarm over climate change

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Aerial image of a lagoon wetland.
Photo Credit
David Huang
San Dieguito Lagoon, one of Beheshti’s primary research sites.

Kat Beheshti earns early career distinction for contributions to coastal science and resource management
A barracuda school off Bikar Atoll, Marshall Islands.
Photo Credit
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Monitoring fishing activity far from shore presents a challenge for resource management and marine conservation.

Satellites show that strictly protected marine areas exclude industrial fishing
drone footage of river with water based plastic trash collectors
Photo Credit
Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory
A depiction of various river plastic collection technologies utilized for data collection

How plastic pollution flows from rivers to oceans — and how to stop it
Old, abandoned barn in a large field with white wildflowers and prairie grass.
Photo Credit
Richard McMillin via iStock
While global trends dominate environmental outcomes, decisions about recultivating or rewilding abandoned fields can influence habitat health.

Protecting nature may depend on where — not just how — we farm
dead tree on salt island in the Dead Sea

Dead Sea’s salt giants offer rare glimpse into Earth’s geological past
An Icelandic braided river, seen from above.
Photo Credit
Luca Ronchi via iStock
Multi-channel rivers predominate in Iceland’s easily eroded volcanic soil.

Rivers choose their path based on erosion — a discovery that could transform flood planning and restoration
Erosion has exposed the cross-section of a forest from the canopy and understory to the subsoil and parent material.
Photo Credit
tarasov_vl via iStock
A new model provides a look into the dynamic feedback between soil moisture levels and plants’ water-use strategies.

A nuanced model of soil moisture illuminates plant behavior and climate patterns
two orange-clad fishermen in a commercial vessel
A commercial fishing vessel near Kodiak Island, Alaska

Experts say seafood deregulation could impact sustainability and supply
Hayden Vega wears a lobster on his head
Photo Credit
Matt Perko

Real-world coral studies spark future in ocean conservation
Dead corn and cracked earth under an orange sky.
Photo Credit
piyaset via iStock
Warmer air can suck more moisture in dry regions and dump more rain in wet regions. New research reveals that the atmosphere’s drying capacity is outpacing increases to rainfall.

The atmosphere’s growing thirst is making droughts worse, even where it rains
cargo ships queueing at Los Angeles and Long Beach port during COVID pandemic
Cargo vessel congestion at the Los Angeles/Long Beach port complex during the COVID pandemic

A cheap and easy potential solution for lowering carbon emissions in maritime shipping
women weaving and mending fishing nets
Geospatial information about how women use the ocean is an important part of marine spatial planning, but tends to be hidden in the data

Gender-sensitive data brings more depth to marine spatial planning
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