Environmental
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A groggy climate giant: subsea permafrost is still waking up after 12,000 years
New research suggests slow but substantial greenhouse gas release from submarine permafrost In the far north, the swelling Arctic Ocean inundated vast swaths of coastal tundra and steppe ecosystems. Though the ocean water was only a few degrees above freezing, it started to thaw the permafrost beneath it, exposing billions of tons of organic matter […]
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Delaying less developed countries’ efforts to reduce carbon emissions would have a minimal impact on global temperature change
The impact on climate change would only be modest if countries in the process of development were to delay efforts to reduce their carbon emissions until they reach a certain level of economic growth. That is the key finding in a new study published today in Environmental Research Letters by scientists from the Carnegie Institution […]
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China’s air pollutant reduction success could make it tougher to control climate change
China’s success in improving air quality by cutting polluting emissions may have a negative knock-on effect on climate change overall, a new study has found. The research, by scientists from Carnegie Institution for Science, USA, Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning, China, Tsinghua University, China and the University of California Irvine, USA, used modelling to analyse […]
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Study identifies first step to beating water scarcity
New research has revealed the locations and industries in the USA where efforts to improve water consumption would have the greatest benefit for economic activity and the environment. The study, led by researchers from Virginia Tech, used a spatially detailed database of water productivity to set realistic benchmarks for more than 400 industries and products. […]
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Lockdown saw modest drop in China air pollution – study
Large improvements of air quality in China during the COVID-19 lockdown have been widely reported, but new research reveals that the two pollutants most harmful to human health, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone, were only slightly reduced. The study, by scientists from the University of Leeds, UK and the Southern University of Science and […]
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Clean energy grids and electric vehicles key to beating climate change and air pollution
Any uptake in electric vehicle use must be mirrored by the development of clean energy grids to mitigate both climate change and air pollution. That is the key finding of a new study by researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, California, and Stanford University, California. Published in the IOP Publishing journal Environmental Research Letters, […]
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Study sheds light on bushfires’ microclimate impact
A study examining the urban microclimatic impact of the 2019-20 Australian bushfires has uncovered how they affect local meteorological and air quality. Its findings could help understand the potential consequences of an increased rate and extension of bushfires, and especially regarding improving risk preparedness and coping strategies. The research was carried out by scientists from […]
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Publons Article badges go live on IOPScience
In collaboration with Publons, IOP Publishing has introduced Article Badges to show when an article includes open peer review reports. The badges allow readers to see a summary of the article’s peer review history, including the number of revisions, editor decision letters and authors’ responses. Clicking the badge brings up the article’s complete peer review […]
