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Oceans

  • Projected acidification of the Great Barrier Reef could be offset by ten years

    New research has shown that by injecting an alkalinizing agent into the ocean along the length of the Great Barrier Reef, it would be possible, at the present rate of anthropogenic carbon emissions, to offset ten years’ worth of ocean acidification. The research, by CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Hobart, used a high-resolution model developed for […]

  • New study investigates the important role of Tambora eruption in the 1816 ‘year without a summer’

    A new study has estimated for the first time how the eruption of Mount Tambora changed the probability of the cold and wet European ‘year without a summer’ of 1816. It found that the observed cold conditions were almost impossible without the eruption, and the wet conditions would have been less likely. 1816 recorded exceptionally […]

  • ‘Sentinels of the sea’ at risk from changing climate

    Climate change’s effect on coastal ecosystems is very likely to increase mortality risks of adult oyster populations in the next 20 years. That is the finding of a new study led by the University of Nantes, the LEMAR (the Marine Environmental Science Laboratory) in Plouzané and the Cerfacs (European center for research and advanced training […]

  • Meet the new guardians of the ocean – robot jellyfish

    New robot jellyfish could be the key to monitoring and caring for fragile parts of the world’s oceans without damaging them. The robots were developed by a team of US scientists, from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and the US Office of Naval Research. They were designed to be able to swim freely, steer from side […]

  • IOP adds Environmental Research Communications to its journal lineup

    IOP Publishing is launching Environmental Research Communications (ERC) as the newest addition to its journal portfolio. ERC is an inclusive open access journal for the rapid publication of high-quality research in all areas of environmental science. Holly Young, ERC’s Publisher at IOP Publishing, said: “We are very excited about the launch of Environmental Research Communications. […]

  • Rising sea levels could cost the world $14 trillion a year by 2100

    Failure to meet the United Nations’ 2ºC warming limits will lead to sea level rise and dire global economic consequences, new research has warned. Published today in Environmental Research Letters, a study led by the UK National Oceanographic Centre (NOC) found flooding from rising sea levels could cost $14 trillion worldwide annually by 2100, if […]

  • Universal migration predicts human movements under climate change

    Climate change is expected to displace millions of people through impacts like sea level rise, crop failures, and more frequent extreme weather. Yet scientists still cannot predict where these expected climate-induced migrants are likely to go in the coming decades. A new study, published today in Environmental Research Letters, seeks to address this need by […]

  • More ambitious climate targets could save coastal ecosystems

    The difference between the Paris climate agreement’s two alternative temperature targets – 1.5°C (2.7°F) and 2.0°C (3.6°F) above pre-industrial levels – may be the difference between life and death for some coastal ecosystems threatened by sea-level rise. That is a key finding of new research from Tufts University, Rutgers University–New Brunswick, and the Potsdam Institute […]