Climate science, earth systems and environmental research.
An analysis of 54 climate models found 73 unusually large changes in ocean, sea-ice and atmospheric variables. The events, including winter Arctic sea-ice disappearance and a possible weakening of Atlantic overturning, were projected to occur earlier and at lower global warming than previous reviews assessed.
A study of illegal markets for ivory, pangolin scales and succulent plants suggests that scarcity can sometimes increase the appeal of wildlife products. The researchers say this can create feedback loops that accelerate species’ decline, limiting the effectiveness of enforcement focused only on supply.
A study of 34 public boreholes in Ghana found a 69% modeled dry-season probability of fluoride-related health-risk thresholds being exceeded for children. The researchers recommend confirmatory testing and site-specific responses at high-risk boreholes, while noting that the screening approach needs testing with larger, year-round datasets.
A life-cycle assessment modeled pumped-hydro storage alongside wind, grid and hydropower. Compared with a baseline without storage, the system reduced modeled greenhouse-gas emissions by 81%, while steel and cement production created environmental burdens.
The 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake triggered large sediment flows in Toyama Bay, carrying organic-rich material into the deep sea. The following decomposition was associated with lower oxygen and higher nutrient concentrations, while low-oxygen conditions persisted for at least 152 days.
A study of 407 households in Hamakuya Village, South Africa, found that flooding damaged crops and transport links, disrupting food access. In 2023, 70.3% of households reported some level of food insecurity, while many responded by rationing meals and relying on social networks.
Rainfall-triggered landslides may become more common in part of southern Italy even as climate projections show generally drier soils. Modeling suggests that changes in rainfall intensity and the moisture left by earlier rain could outweigh the drying trend.
Illegal fishing can enter seafood markets through ship-to-ship transfers, weakly regulated ports and false documents. The article estimates that illicit marine wild-fish seafood trade totals 8.4 to 15.4 million metric tons a year and is worth $6.2 billion to $12.2 billion, while noting that proposed solutions still need more research.
Adding hazelnut or sweet chestnut trees to soybean farms reduced their modeled carbon footprint in a study from western Slovakia. But soybean yields fell by 61–83% in the tree-based systems, with chestnut systems showing the largest modeled climate benefit and hazelnut systems retaining higher soybean yields.
In a West Texas field study, alfalfa irrigated with treated oil-and-gas wastewater grew similarly to alfalfa irrigated with groundwater. The water met most irrigation standards, but elevated strontium and the need to track long-term effects remain concerns.
Prescribed burns made the Brazilian Cerrado shrub Macairea radula flower earlier and for longer, but reduced its fruiting period and fruit abundance. The findings suggest that fire management should consider effects on reproduction beyond flowering.
Isotopes preserved in children’s teeth from a prehistoric Chinese site point to several weaning patterns and different life histories. People in more lavish burials had diets richer in high-protein C3 foods, while others mainly ate C4 foods, suggesting that diet and childhood treatment varied with emerging social differences.
A forensic operation after the 2015 Mediterranean migrant shipwreck recovered 528 bodies and about 30,000 commingled remains. Ten years later, 33 victims had been identified and another 40 were being confirmed, showing how detailed records and international cooperation can support identification after a mass disaster.
An open Zenodo working note tracks water use linked to 10 AI data-centre sites and provides code to reproduce its calculations. It finds that closed-loop cooling shifts roughly 92% to 95% of the modelled water footprint to the electricity grid, rather than removing it.
Measurements in Missoula, Montana, found that aged wildfire smoke contained substantially more fine particles, carbon monoxide and chemical pollutants than a widely used atmospheric model predicted. The researchers estimated that an annually recurring 2020-style fire season would raise excess lifetime cancer risk to about 100 in 1 million, while the model understated that risk by about 40 percent.
