Sheep within a dual grazing system in Georgia, U.S.
Credit: T. Bacon et al. Earth’s Future
AGU News
Editorial: The Executive Order “Restoring Gold Standard Science” is Dangerous for America
Editors-in-chief of AGU’s journals authored an editorial this week in AGU Advances arguing why independent, transparent science — not politically controlled “gold standards”—must guide U.S. scientific scholarship. Framed against the Trump Administration’s “Restoring Gold Standard Science” executive order, the editorial explains how placing enforcement in the hands of senior political appointees risks censorship, chills research, and undermines rigorous peer-review that protects public health, safety, and the economy. Federal agencies must submit “Restoring Gold Standard Science” implementation plans to OSTP and publish them on their websites by August 22. [AGU Advances editorial][OSTP memorandum]
Featured Research
As New Jersey beaches erode, rebuilding efforts aren’t supporting all communities
Erosion along beaches can be slowed through beach nourishment, or adding more sand to replace the lost ground. The study found steady and continual nourishment was the most effect. Rebuilding efforts weren’t always cooperative between neighboring communities with many communities choosing differing ways of handling erosion. Some communities benefitted from neighboring efforts as sand was redistributed to their beach as currents and wind moved the sand around. In some cases in New Jersey, affluent communities were free riding on steady nourishment from less wealthy neighbors. Researchers highlighted a need for combined group effort to delay erosion across the board. [Earth’s Future study]
Combining solar farms with animal farms saves land, mowing
Solar farms could now have a dual purpose. Scientists studied the benefits of allowing farm animals to graze on the grass that grows beneath the solar panels. This would allow the solar panels to create energy while not wasting the ground underneath. Researchers found a few key areas that need studied, like how the change would impact the soil or vegetation, how it might impact the animals’ welfare and logistical concerns like fencing or loading pens. [Earth’s Future review]
Growing rice is non-flooded fields helps lower the arsenic and mercury levels in rice
Rice is typically grown in flooded rice paddies to help boost yield and control weeds and pests. The water helps create conditions where naturally occurring metals like arsenic and mercury can be absorbed into rice. It also encourages microbes to produce methane. A two-year field study found less water reduced the inorganic arsenic and mercury found in rice but conversely raised cadmium level over the recommended amounts. Methane levels also dropped at low water levels. [GeoHealth study]
Where the pigs and buffalo roam, the wetlands they do bemoan
A novel fenced enclosure study demonstrates the heavy toll that invasive ungulates have on greenhouse gas emissions from coastal wetlands on Indigenous lands in Australia. Pigs and buffalo were sequestered into fenced areas to measure the damage done to surrounding wetlands. Researchers found the animals increased greenhouse gas emissions, particularly during the early dry season. Damage to underground root systems and organic soil near ground level was double that of untouched land nearby. [Eos editors’ highlights][JGR Biogeosciences study]
How much has mercury shrunk?
Mercury is still shrinking as it cools in the aftermath of its formation; new research narrows down estimates of just how much it has contracted. [Eos research spotlight][AGU Advances study]