Climate science, earth systems and environmental research.
A pilot-scale system removed long-chain PFAS, including PFOS and PFOA, from municipal wastewater and concentrated the compounds in a small volume of foam. Under the best-performing conditions, a subsequent treatment destroyed and removed more than 99% of measured PFAS in that concentrated foam.
Humpback whales in Monterey Bay fed more frequently when California sea lions were present. The whales appeared to spend less time searching and approaching prey, while the effort and movement of individual lunges showed no detectable increase.
A study of California’s Sacramento and San Joaquin River Basins found that changing vegetation conditions improved simulations of mountain snow water equivalent, or the amount of water held in snow. Combining those data with finer weather inputs produced the best match to the available snow observations.
Humpback and fin whales often move into killer whales’ herring-hunting groups in northern Norway, feeding on dense patches that the killer whales have gathered. The intrusions can end killer whale hunts, while whale-watching tourism adds further disruption to feeding.
Large groups of mahi-mahi may interfere with striped marlin hunting at shared prey schools, causing the marlin to abandon a hunt. The study also found that smaller numbers of mahi-mahi may increase the marlin’s net captures.
A study in Ladakh, India, found that three closely related pika species use different combinations of elevation, vegetation and rock cover. The results show that a species that appears broadly distributed across a mountain region can still be highly selective at smaller scales.
Satellite tracking of 21 southern right whales from Aotearoa New Zealand found that they used one of two routes to reach shared summer feeding grounds. The results suggest the whales may balance faster travel against lower energy costs, while adjusting their route as individuals.
A study of the Ediacaran fossil Charniodiscus suggests it contained densely aligned, collagen-like fibres and a load-bearing stem. The findings support the view that this frond belonged to a broad early animal lineage rather than being a sponge, placozoan or other non-animal organism.
North Pacific spiny dogfish produced cortisol, challenging the long-standing view that sharks and their relatives do not make the hormone. The study also found that cortisol implants persistently lowered blood glucose, while having little effect on blood osmolytes.
Winter temperature inversions in Fairbanks often trapped pollution in a surface layer only 20–40 meters high, according to observations from the 2022 ALPACA experiment. The study found that pollutants remained in the layer for 1–4 hours at a time, while weak mixing and chemical reactions shaped its composition.
A study using data from the National Ecological Observatory Network found that plant invasions were associated with less stable plant communities at both local and broader ecosystem scales. The pattern was linked to losses in functional diversity and shifts toward fast-growing and more acquisitive growth and seed-dispersal strategies.
The European Union’s land carbon sink is not strengthening as quickly as climate-neutrality plans assume. Recent projections point to a 40–55 million-tonne gap to the EU’s 2030 target, while disturbances, harvesting and biomass demand could further reduce land-based removals.
A study in China identified recurring patterns in seismic, magnetic and ionospheric data before numerous major earthquakes. The researchers say these “seismo-ripples” could provide estimates of an earthquake’s magnitude, location and timing, but the method remains limited by monitoring coverage, especially for earthquakes beneath the ocean.
A study finds that the Arctic Ocean and Nordic Seas were sometimes largely isolated from the North Atlantic during past ice ages. The connection appears to have reopened rapidly as the ice ages ended, raising questions about effects on the global ocean circulation system.
Laboratory tests found that plastic particles carrying pyrene or methyl chlorpyrifos increased the acute immobilization of water fleas. During chronic exposure, the contaminants affected survival and reproduction, with stronger effects when they were attached to polystyrene particles.
