https://phys.org/earth-news/environment/ en-us The latest news on the environment, environmental issues, earth science and space exploration. Arsenic contamination in drinking water is a global issue, with over 200 million people estimated to be at risk. While water treatment plants remove the metal, the problem persists in low-resource areas or undertreated well water. So, researchers reporting in ACS Omega have designed a simple solution: an arsenic-removing teabag. The system is inexpensive, costing around 7 cents to clean a liter of water, and highly effective, removing over 90% of the arsenic ions present. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-high-school-student-teabags-arsenic.html Environment Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:00:03 EDT news695384929 An Adelaide University study has revealed that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) found in tap water, at levels currently considered safe, affected the development of embryos, causing irreversible damage that may be passed on to future generations. The researchers examined the effects of tap water on female mice following daily consumption for four weeks or six months. The results, published in Environmental Research, showed exposure to PFAS chemicals, even in trace amounts, disrupts female fertility, causing cellular damage to ovulated eggs and embryos. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-weeks-safe-pfas-exposure-embryo.html Environment Tue, 14 Apr 2026 09:27:10 EDT news695377555 Urban emissions of methane—a potent greenhouse gas—are rising faster than bottom-up accounting estimates anticipated, according to a study led by University of Michigan Engineering. The discrepancy was found with satellite measurements of methane over 92 major cities around the world. For 72 of the cities, there were sufficient data to track changes in methane emissions between 2019 and 2023. Overall, global urban methane emissions in 2023 were 6% higher than 2019 levels and 10% higher than 2020 levels, although they tended to decrease in European cities. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-satellites-reveal-city-methane-emissions.html Earth Sciences Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:50:01 EDT news695320261 When extreme weather looms, timely and accurate warnings can give people the chance to adjust their plans, brace for danger and, in the most severe cases, make decisions that keep them safe. Does that mean improving weather forecasts could save more lives in a warming climate? https://phys.org/news/2026-04-weather-deaths-climate.html Environment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:00:08 EDT news695293261 Tiny particles bubbling up from the tops of melting sea ice into the Arctic sky may be a key, understudied element of cloud formation in that climate-sensitive region. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-tiny-particles-arctic-ponds-play.html Earth Sciences Mon, 13 Apr 2026 07:00:01 EDT news695035062 Scientists have developed a new method to measure ocean surface currents over large areas in greater detail than ever before. Called GOFLOW (Geostationary Ocean Flow), the approach applies deep learning to thermal images from weather satellites already in orbit, requiring no new hardware to achieve what the researchers describe as a major advancement in ocean observation. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-deep-weather-satellite-thermal-imagery.html Earth Sciences Mon, 13 Apr 2026 05:00:04 EDT news695047081 Marine heat waves are supercharging damage caused by hurricanes and tropical cyclones across the globe, a new study found. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-worsening-ocean-supercharging-hurricane.html Earth Sciences Sat, 11 Apr 2026 01:47:48 EDT news695090805 U.S. cities are rapidly becoming urban heat islands, where these cities are significantly warmer than their surrounding area. Vast expanses of asphalt and concrete trap heat, while large, densely packed buildings disrupt wind flow and intensify the effect. But beyond parking lots and skyscrapers, recent research points to highways as another cause behind America's urban heat islands. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-highway-widening-cities-faster-curb.html Environment Fri, 10 Apr 2026 18:00:04 EDT news695028398 Rapid ocean warming is likely to make tropical cyclone rainfall more intense and longer lasting, increasing flood risks in parts of the North Atlantic region. A new study led by Newcastle University using satellite data shows that tropical cyclones and their post-tropical cyclone counterparts are responding quite differently to surface warming. The findings reveal that during the tropical cyclone phase, warmer and more humid conditions are causing storm slowdown and strongly increasing rainfall intensity. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-warmer-caribbean-slower-hurricanes-worse.html Earth Sciences Fri, 10 Apr 2026 15:00:01 EDT news695042389 Two back-to-back droughts in 2023 and 2024 caused the most severe decline in forest moisture and biomass (the total mass of living vegetation such as leaves, trunks and branches) in the Amazon since 1992, according to a study published in the journal PNAS. And many of the hardest hit areas are unlikely to recover before the next major drought arrives. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-amazon-droughts-trigger-forest-stress.html Earth Sciences Fri, 10 Apr 2026 11:20:05 EDT news695033148 Earth's glaciers are continuing to shrink at alarming rates, with new international research revealing that 2025 was among the worst years on record for global ice loss. Published in the Climate Chronicles collection of Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, the study provides the latest global assessment of glacier mass change, showing an accelerating trend driven by rising temperatures. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-glaciers-rapidly-declining-extreme-losses.html Earth Sciences Fri, 10 Apr 2026 10:20:01 EDT news695030821 Mercury released into the oceans affects marine environments worldwide. Traditionally, its distribution and quantity have been estimated using marine biogeochemical simulation models. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-seabirds-reveal-global-mercury-oceans.html Environment Fri, 10 Apr 2026 09:00:03 EDT news695029921 A new IIASA-led study finds that expanding street green space can reduce urban heat stress in cities worldwide, but even ambitious greening efforts are unlikely to offset a significant share of the additional heat expected under climate change. Instead, the research shows that street greenery should be part of a broader portfolio of urban adaptation measures. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-street-green-space-cool-cities.html Environment Thu, 09 Apr 2026 19:20:01 EDT news694971001 Microbial methane leaking from non-producing oil and gas wells is being emitted at rates about 1,000 times higher than previously estimated, according to a new study led by McGill University researchers. "Origins of Subsurface Methane Leaking from Nonproducing Oil and Gas Wells in Canada," by Gianni Micucci and Mary Kang, is published in Environmental Science and Technology. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-oil-gas-wells-emit-microbial.html Environment Thu, 09 Apr 2026 18:40:03 EDT news694970761 The world's oceans may be quietly amplifying climate change in ways scientists are only beginning to understand. In a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, University of Rochester scientists—including Thomas Weber, an associate professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and graduate student Shengyu Wang and postdoctoral research associate Hairong Xu in Weber's lab—uncovered a key mechanism behind methane production in the open ocean. Their research indicates that this mechanism could intensify as the planet warms, providing an alarming feedback loop for global warming. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-hidden-ocean-feedback-loop-climate.html Earth Sciences Thu, 09 Apr 2026 17:10:02 EDT news694972141 Deadly heat wave events are occurring at temperatures and humidity levels previously thought to be survivable, according to a new paper by a team of international researchers, including from The Australian National University (ANU) and the University of Sydney. The research is published in the journal Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-deadly-thresholds.html Earth Sciences Thu, 09 Apr 2026 13:40:04 EDT news694956781 Svalbard reindeer live in a place so remote they have actually evolved to become a subspecies. But that remoteness isn't enough to protect them from contaminants from the industrial world. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-high-chemicals-svalbard-reindeer.html Environment Thu, 09 Apr 2026 11:20:07 EDT news694949881 A global study by the University of Basel, Switzerland, reveals a surprising picture: While 42% of treelines worldwide are shifting upslope, 25% are retreating. This seemingly contradictory trend involves more than just warming. Climate change and human land use are interacting. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-treelines-dont-simply-climate.html Earth Sciences Thu, 09 Apr 2026 09:40:04 EDT news694946228 A shutdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) could trigger a substantial release of stored ocean carbon into the atmosphere over hundreds of years, according to a new study that simulated such a collapse under stable climate conditions. This would add 0.2°C of extra global warming. The new paper from researchers at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), published in Communications Earth & Environment, highlights the AMOC's role as a key regulator of the global climate. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-amoc-collapse-southern-ocean-carbon.html Earth Sciences Wed, 08 Apr 2026 19:40:01 EDT news694880881 From space, Earth's populated areas glow on the otherwise "black marble" of the planet at night. For decades, scientists assumed this glow was steadily increasing as the world developed. However, a new study published in Nature flips this narrative. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-satellites-capture-volatile-humanluminescence-relationship.html Environment Wed, 08 Apr 2026 18:40:01 EDT news694880162 A new study reveals that most fatal landslides occur in human-transformed environments. Conducted by an international team of researchers from the University of Vienna, Ankara University, Istanbul Technical University, Bursa Uludag University, and the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, the study provides a global overview of how human pressure modulates landslide occurrences. The paper is published in the journal Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-human-mountains-fatal-landslides-worldwide.html Earth Sciences Wed, 08 Apr 2026 17:10:06 EDT news694885383 Glaciers in High Mountain Asia—a region encompassing the Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding mountain ranges—are shrinking rapidly, endangering water resources for millions of people, suggests a new study. Using satellite data from NASA's GRACE missions, results show that these extensive glacier systems, often called the "water towers of Asia," experienced significant losses in mass between 2002 and 2023. These findings reveal that if the extreme conditions that led to this decline continue, enhanced glacier melt could intensify short-term flood risks and substantially reduce long-term meltwater availability. The researchers say the findings underscore the need for reduced greenhouse gas emissions to stave off glacier melt and preserve a larger fraction of the region's cryospheric water storage. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-high-mountain-asia-glaciers-threaten.html Earth Sciences Wed, 08 Apr 2026 16:40:01 EDT news694872401 Penguins living along the Patagonian coast of Argentina can serve as living monitors of their environment by using small, chemical-detecting leg bands, according to a study from the University of California, Davis, and the State University of New York at Buffalo. For the proof-of-concept study, published in the journal Earth: Environmental Sustainability, UC Davis scientists outfitted 54 Magellanic penguins with silicone passive samplers placed gently around their legs for a few days during the 2022-24 breeding seasons. The sensors safely absorbed chemicals from the water, air, and surfaces the penguins encountered while the unwitting "toxicologists" foraged to feed their chicks. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-penguins-remote-patagonia-chemicals.html Environment Wed, 08 Apr 2026 16:00:07 EDT news694871641 Summer weather is arriving earlier, lasting longer and packing more heat than it used to—and it's happening faster than scientists had previously measured. A new study by UBC researchers has found that between 1990 and 2023, the average summer between the tropics and the polar circles grew about six days longer per decade. That's up from roughly four days per decade found in past research investigations up until the early 2010s. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-summer-longer-faster-thought.html Earth Sciences Wed, 08 Apr 2026 15:40:02 EDT news694871597 A new study published in Science Advances reveals that sinking land—not just rising oceans alone—will be the main cause of future coastal flooding along Indonesia's densely populated Java Island, putting millions at risk sooner than expected. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-coastal-densely-populated-java-island.html Earth Sciences Wed, 08 Apr 2026 14:00:03 EDT news694856461 A new University at Buffalo study finds that people in the United States generate similar amounts of plastic packaging waste regardless of income, education level or where they live. Yet wealthier and more college-educated communities are much more likely to recycle soda bottles, takeout containers and other plastic packaging. Why? It's complicated, but the study, published in Communications Sustainability, suggests that unequal access to recycling infrastructure plays a key role. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-doesnt-recycle-plastic-lack-access.html Environment Wed, 08 Apr 2026 05:00:03 EDT news694795321 In their current state, climate policies around the world could leave a significant chunk of the global population exposed to simultaneous extreme heat and drought over five times more often by the end of this century than during the mid-to-late 20th century. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-hot-dry-extremes-humanity-century.html Earth Sciences Tue, 07 Apr 2026 09:00:01 EDT news694694057 Even after one of the largest environmental remediation efforts in California history, dangerous levels of lead persist in residential neighborhoods surrounding a former battery smelter in Southeast Los Angeles, according to a new study from the University of California, Irvine's Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health. The research is published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. The findings reveal a serious public health failure while also highlighting the power of community-driven research to hold institutions accountable and drive meaningful change. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-remediated-los-angeles-yards-exceed.html Environment Mon, 06 Apr 2026 19:20:06 EDT news694707687 Researchers at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo and George Mason University's College of Science have developed a new method that improves air temperature forecasts one to five weeks in advance—without requiring additional model simulations. The methodology, detailed in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provides a dual benefit, not requiring significant increase in computational cost while improving predictions. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-air-temperature-weeks-advance-simulations.html Environment Mon, 06 Apr 2026 18:30:01 EDT news694713481 In Puerto Rico, drought doesn't always arrive slowly. Sometimes, it appears in days. That speed can leave producers scrambling, reservoirs dropping, and communities facing water restrictions before they can react. In a place often associated with heavy rain and hurricanes, drought is often overlooked, but very much a reality. New research from Virginia Tech is helping explain why. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-drought-puerto-rico-uncovered.html Earth Sciences Mon, 06 Apr 2026 17:20:01 EDT news694697641