https://phys.org/earth-news/environment/ en-us The latest news on the environment, environmental issues, earth science and space exploration. The Amazon rainforest is one of the largest carbon reservoirs on Earth. It is also the world's largest source of biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These carbon-based gases are naturally released by vegetation. They protect trees against various sources of stress, e.g., by mitigating oxidative stress and deterring herbivores. Once in the atmosphere, VOCs react rapidly with other gases. This influences the formation of airborne particles and clouds, which contributes to shaping the regional climate and rainfall patterns. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-stress-amazon-trees-climate-atmosphere.html Environment Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:00:03 EDT news702822133 Earth's temperature has been much cooler in the past than previously thought, meaning it could be moving toward the warmest it's ever been. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ancient-reveal-earth-periods-cooler.html Earth Sciences Thu, 09 Jul 2026 16:40:03 EDT news702822175 Following a four-year study, scientists at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography released a new report to determine whether an early warning system could detect a landslide before it happens. The "California Coastal Landslide Early Warning Research" report found that a network of in-ground sensors can provide a reliable warning of impending, dangerous landslides with hours to days' notice, but that more work is needed to formalize the findings into an actionable warning system. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-sensors-california-cliff-collapses-hours.html Earth Sciences Thu, 09 Jul 2026 14:00:20 EDT news702806259 A new study published in Quaternary Science Reviews dates the dramatic collapse of one of the largest glaciers ever documented in the Himalayas. The findings overturn a long-held assumption about what sustains wet-climate (monsoon-dominated) glaciers. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ancient-kilometer-himalayan-glacier-india.html Earth Sciences Thu, 09 Jul 2026 13:00:01 EDT news702809752 Moderate volcanic eruptions and extreme wildfires since 2005 have led to an increase in the amount of water vapor in the stratosphere, a layer of Earth's atmosphere above the weather-filled troposphere. That's potentially bad news because water vapor here acts like a greenhouse gas that traps heat and changes ozone chemistry. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-volcanoes-wildfires-adding-vapor-stratosphere.html Earth Sciences Thu, 09 Jul 2026 12:30:05 EDT news702816070 For more than 150 years, scientists have debated when and how the Colorado River first carved its way through the Grand Canyon. Now, a new study led by researchers at the University of New Mexico offers evidence that the river developed gradually from north to south between 8 million and 4.8 million years ago. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-fish-dna-crystals-rewrite-colorado.html Earth Sciences Thu, 09 Jul 2026 11:20:05 EDT news702808308 Continental aquatic ecosystems, such as lakes and reservoirs, occupy a small proportion of Earth's surface but play a significant role in the global carbon cycle. It is estimated that more than 40% of global methane emissions originate from these ecosystems. However, the true scale of these emissions remains uncertain, as most of the available data comes from one-off measurements taken at specific times and locations. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-falling-trigger-surge-methane-emissions.html Earth Sciences Thu, 09 Jul 2026 09:40:12 EDT news702806844 Tiny, invisible swirls and twirls—not much bigger than a coin—deep below the ocean's surface are silently shaping some of the biggest forces shaping our climate: sea level rise, fisheries collapse, extreme flooding and how much carbon dioxide the ocean absorbs. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-hidden-deep-sea-turbulence-climate.html Earth Sciences Thu, 09 Jul 2026 05:00:01 EDT news702711269 A slowing Atlantic Ocean current is projected to intensify powerful storms in California while reducing snowfall over Greenland, according to a recent University of California, Riverside study. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) works like a giant conveyor belt in the ocean, moving warm water from the tropics northward to heat places like Europe, then cycling the cooled, denser water back south along the ocean floor. The findings are published in the journal Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-atlantic-current-fuel-stronger-california.html Environment Wed, 08 Jul 2026 18:20:08 EDT news702746010 The first-known direct observations of a seafloor spreading event at a mid-ocean ridge in the Indian Ocean are presented in Nature. The observations offer insight into how new oceanic crust is created. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-deep-sea-ocean-floor.html Earth Sciences Wed, 08 Jul 2026 18:00:03 EDT news702737904 The Amazon region, Earth's most important ecosystem, is home to more than 400 Indigenous groups that use thousands of rainforest plant species. They pass on their knowledge of the flora primarily through oral tradition, usually from parents or other family members to their children. This creates a "living library of knowledge" about how to use native plants. Until now, little was known about how this treasure trove of knowledge is affected by the combined effects of climate change and language loss. A new study by the University of Zurich (UZH) provides the first reliable scientific data on the impact of global change on the biocultural heritage of the Amazon region. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-indigenous-peoples-amazon-massive-cultural.html Environment Wed, 08 Jul 2026 17:20:01 EDT news702737556 Cities are often described as "heat islands," with media reports warning that some neighborhoods can be 20° F (7° C) hotter than others. But those temperatures are often based on satellite data rather than the conditions people actually experience, due to the dearth of near-surface urban observations. This data gap hinders understanding public health risks during heat waves, planning for energy demand, infrastructure resilience, and climate adaptation. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-block-ai-uncover-real-urban.html Environment Wed, 08 Jul 2026 17:10:01 EDT news702746045 With an anticipated "super" El Niño looming, a new study led by UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography considers whether society could use a weather-altering technique as a tool to mitigate the floods, extreme heat and other events that El Niño would bring. The findings are published in the journal Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-geoengineering-tamp-super-el-nios.html Environment Wed, 08 Jul 2026 15:30:02 EDT news702741400 Manganese is an essential trace element. However, in excessive concentrations, the metal can cause health problems. Two Eawag researchers have now produced a global risk map for manganese in groundwater. Half of the world's population uses groundwater as drinking water. According to the study, between 180 million and 220 million people could be using water with elevated manganese concentrations as drinking water—significantly more than previously thought. Densely populated regions of Asia are particularly affected. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-manganese-groundwater-affects-million-people.html Environment Wed, 08 Jul 2026 15:20:08 EDT news702728130 An interdisciplinary team from Florida State University's Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science has uncovered new evidence about processes that may have contributed to ancient mass-extinction events, some of the most dramatic ecosystem reorganizations in Earth's history. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-scientists-gas-emissions-contributed-ancient.html Earth Sciences Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:00:06 EDT news702704476 Microplastic contamination has been a much-discussed topic over the last several years, but contamination from even smaller plastic particles represents another pressing issue. Nanoplastics—defined as being under a micrometer in diameter—may pose an even higher ecological risk because they can travel more easily, cross cellular membranes and easily adsorb other pollutants. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-nanoplastics-antarctic-soils-range-atmospheric.html Earth Sciences Wed, 08 Jul 2026 12:30:01 EDT news702729325 A newer "climate-friendly" refrigerant used in car air conditioning systems may already be a significant, and possibly dominant, source of a "forever chemical" pollutant across Europe, according to a new University of Bristol-led study. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-climate-friendly-car-refrigerant-linked.html Environment Wed, 08 Jul 2026 10:40:03 EDT news702724250 New roads bring changes to the regions they traverse. They can enable job opportunities, access to medicine and health care, and electricity. But they also disrupt local ecosystems and can have surprising consequences for human health, including increased disease risk. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-peru-amazon-highway-dengue-surge.html Environment Wed, 08 Jul 2026 10:00:07 EDT news702721600 Carbon sequestration, climate regulation, biodiversity support and shoreline protection: These are all benefits provided by tidal wetlands. As the climate changes, the amount of carbon captured by these vital ecosystems may be changing as well. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-satellite-reveals-tidal-wetland-productivity.html Earth Sciences Tue, 07 Jul 2026 17:40:04 EDT news702647680 Researchers have long known that there is an asymmetry in the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the confluence of wind and water currents that creates warm El Niño events and cooler La Niña events. Large-scale climate models tend to underrepresent this asymmetry for reasons that are still not fully understood. Better modeling of the mechanisms that make El Niño events warmer could both provide insight into Earth's climate system and improve future ENSO predictions. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-day-night-ocean-el-nio.html Earth Sciences Tue, 07 Jul 2026 15:20:01 EDT news702647657 New research has found young birds living near contaminated industrial and military sites in suburban Melbourne carry especially high concentrations of PFAS, so-called "forever chemicals." https://phys.org/news/2026-07-mother-offspring-young-birds-chemicals.html Environment Tue, 07 Jul 2026 12:20:05 EDT news702638964 In November 2025, a study led by Adrien Wehrlé, a researcher in the Department of Geography at the University of Zürich, Switzerland, looked at the massive calving response of one of West Greenland's active glaciers, Sermeq Kujalleq in the Kangia icefjord (SKK), to the drainage of two surface lakes. Called supraglacial lakes, these are temporary meltwater ponds that form and accumulate in depressions or holes on the surface of glaciers and ice sheets. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-massive-calving-episode-greenland-foreshadow.html Earth Sciences Tue, 07 Jul 2026 07:40:03 EDT news702627588 Geologists studying some of the planet's oldest volcanic rocks have uncovered new evidence that water was playing a major role in shaping Earth's interior and driving volcanic activity more than 3 billion years ago. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ancient-reveal-reshaped-earth-interior.html Earth Sciences Tue, 07 Jul 2026 05:00:01 EDT news702538051 Researchers at University of Tsukuba analyzed high-resolution topographic data from airborne LiDAR to examine the relationships among landslide area, depth, and slope gradient. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-soil-thickness-landslide-occurrence.html Earth Sciences Mon, 06 Jul 2026 21:00:03 EDT news702543772 More than four in five homes and workplaces across 25 European cities have less nearby tree canopy than what is needed for meaningful cooling, according to an open-data analysis by an urban greening expert. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-european-cities-short-urban-reveals.html Environment Sun, 05 Jul 2026 13:00:04 EDT news702039240 The state of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) has been a hot topic among climate scientists in recent years. The AMOC is crucial for climate regulation because it pulls warm surface water from the tropics north and sends colder, deeper water south, redistributing large amounts of heat, helping to sustain marine ecosystems and keeping global weather patterns steady. However, most standard AMOC-focused climate models may be missing an important piece of the puzzle—they don't include the growing pulse of freshwater from Greenland ice melt, which could further disrupt the AMOC. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-greenland-meltwater-amoc-weakening-sight.html Earth Sciences Sat, 04 Jul 2026 13:00:01 EDT news702218339 Europe is still taking stock of a powerful heat wave in late June, but experts are already confident it ranks among the worst ever recorded—even rivaling a freak 2003 episode. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-history-european.html Environment Sat, 04 Jul 2026 04:10:01 EDT news702355927 The Southern Ocean has long stood out as an oddity in the global climate system. While most of the planet's surface oceans have warmed in response to rising greenhouse gases, waters circling Antarctica showed an unexpected tendency to cool during the late 20th and early 21st centuries. This cooling coincided with a period when Antarctic sea ice briefly expanded before its more recent decline, adding to the mystery. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-antarctic-ozone-loss-drove-unexpected.html Earth Sciences Fri, 03 Jul 2026 13:20:01 EDT news702288123 The Congo River is the second-largest river in the world, releasing an average of 40,000 cubic meters of water per second into the Atlantic Ocean. This huge discharge rate creates a large plume of fresh water that fans out 800 kilometers (500 miles) offshore. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-congo-river-freshwater-day-atlantic.html Earth Sciences Fri, 03 Jul 2026 07:20:04 EDT news702225861 A new airborne imaging approach can reliably detect unexploded weapons that lie in shallow coastal waters and remain an ongoing hazard to public safety, marine ecosystems and infrastructure worldwide. By combining advanced multispectral sensing with artificial intelligence, the researchers were able to identify underwater munitions with high confidence, even when they are partially hidden by sediment, biological growth or debris. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-airborne-ai-underwater-munitions-shallow.html Environment Thu, 02 Jul 2026 20:20:01 EDT news702210143