Environment

Florida State University researchers have discovered how to accurately predict winter weather forecasts months in advance, affording sectors such as agriculture, water management, energy use and public health a longer lead time to prepare for inclement conditions. The research, published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, shows a method for... Read more

In the last two decades, coastal urban areas have taken steps to better minimize flooding and runoff by creating more permeable surfaces and encouraging residents to participate in water retention and use-reduction programs. These efforts, ranging from adding rain barrels and cisterns, to installing water-efficient fixtures, are making a difference,... Read more

As much as 40 million metric tons of microplastics are released into the environment globally every year. These tiny pieces of plastic come from larger plastic items that break down or are shed by products such as clothing, paints, and cosmetics.... Read more

For generations, the mild and temperate climate of northwestern Europe has been credited to one legendary force: the Gulf Stream. This idea is so deeply entrenched in our cultural identity that in James Joyce's Ulysses, the protagonist, Stephen Dedalus, refuses to take a bath, arguing that "all Ireland is washed... Read more

For decades, coral reefs throughout the Caribbean have been suffering from disease, pollution, overfishing and rising sea temperatures, yet most have continued to grow—until now.... Read more

From a geothermal hotspot to the one-time "Lighthouse of the Pacific," the heat is on beneath the volcanic landscape of western El Salvador.... Read more

Heavy rains causing repeated river flood intrusions into Florida's freshwater springs are changing the function of the clear natural resource. Findings from University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers Paul Donsky and Matt Cohen reveal that these intrusions can cause flow reversal, worsening already present problems.... Read more

Air pollution is estimated to cause around 48,881 adult deaths a year in Nepal and more than 25,000 deaths in Ethiopia, alongside significant health harm across Malawi's fast-growing cities. To combat this, researchers from the University of Surrey have developed three new evidence-based toolkits, co-authored with local partners in each... Read more

There's more bad news about microplastics. We already know they pose a risk to health and can pollute ecosystems, but now researchers have discovered that tiny plastic particles drifting in Earth's atmosphere could be a significant contributor to global warming.... Read more

Earth's ice is melting. As icebergs break away from glaciers and melt away, the fresh meltwater mixes into its saltwater surroundings. However, icebergs do not exist in isolation. In Greenland, for example, jammed collections of icebergs and sea ice make up what are known as mélanges. Determining how these pieces... Read more

An artificial intelligence (AI) tool built by the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR) can help forecasters look further into the future as they work to identify the potential for deadly severe weather outbreaks.... Read more

Major new research on climate change, global warming and environmental collapse, how they connect with what men do, and what to do about it has just been published by a team including the University of Huddersfield's Professor Jeff Hearn.... Read more

Weather forecasting is another aspect of modern life that artificial intelligence is transforming. Models like GraphCast, Pangu-Weather, and Fuxi are already better than traditional physics-based climate models at predicting some daily weather conditions. However, they are far from perfect. A new study published in the journal Science Advances reports that... Read more

More than two-thirds of Saudi Arabia's irrigation water and a third of the country's drinking water comes from groundwater, yet aquifers are being depleted faster than they recharge. At the same time, sewage treatment generates large volumes of treated wastewater: 1.6 billion cubic meters of treated wastewater is underutilized throughout... Read more

Already reeling from the effects of conflict in the Middle East, Asia is now facing the prospect of strong El Niño conditions that could spike energy demand, sap hydropower, and damage crops.... Read more