08/07/2025: Draining a peatland led to 2021 Canadian wildfire

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A drawn time lapse that shows the peatland draining and black spruce and birch trees move in. The water table of the peatland lowers and the peat fuel load increases as the trees increase.

Time lapse of the progression of the boreal peatland as it dried out and became better grounds for the 2021 fire.
Credit: Ferrer et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL115170

AGU News 

Press registration open for 2026 Ocean Sciences Meeting
Full time reporters and press officers are invited to attend, free of charge, the Oceans Sciences Meeting, hosted by AGU, The Oceanography Society and the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography in Glasgow, Scotland, 22-27 February 2026. [OSM26 press information][eligibility] 

Featured Research 

As cities grow, poorer residents are moving into landslide zones
The total number of buildings built on landslides in cities has doubled since 1985, although the cities themselves have only increased in area by about 48%. Many of these landslides will impact poorer communities as researchers found that informal settlements, or slums, were more likely to be built in landslide zones. [Geophysical Research Letters letter] [More research about living on landslides] 

A peatland dried up in 1987 and it may have made a wildfire worse in 2021
The fire burned over 4,400 acres in Alberta in 2021 and continued to smolder for over a year. The sections of the peatland that burned were drained in 1987 for peat farming and, at the time of draining, had no trees. After the peatland was drained, birch and black spruce trees began to grow. These trees sucked moisture from the peat and encouraged the growth of shade-loving moss that ignites better than moss that previously grew there. The trees themselves didn’t add to the burn, but they dried the peat and helped moss grow, both of which contributed to the intensity of the fire, which was all set off by the initial drying of the peatlands. [JGR Biogeosciences study] 

No one water climate adaptation fits all
Scientists modeled how well every climate adaptation for water resources in the western United States worked at its highest capacity. The results were mixed. For example, wastewater recycling improved indoor and outdoor water coverage, but increased electricity use. Reductions in indoor water use decreased electricity but had limited potential when compared to other options like groundwater storage. The researchers explained that the most beneficial water climate adaptation would have to be a multi-pronged approach instead of a one-size-fits-all change. [Earth’s Future study] 

The state of stress in the Nankai subduction zone
The Nankai subduction zone, in southern Japan, has hosted several large magnitude 8+ earthquakes during the last three hundred years. But, how stressed is it right now? [Eos Editors’ highlights] [JGR Solid Earth study]  

What goes up must come down: movement of water in Europa’s crust
Using Earth’s glaciers as an analog, a new study explores the possibility of downward propagation of fractures and melt in Europa’s icy crust. [Eos Editors’ highlights] [JGR Planets study] 

07/31/2025: New AI lab assistant does the math for you

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Mars, light tan planet with a snowy white spot on the bottom on the planet.

AI system can answer research questions on windstorms and other topics about Mars using data from NASA. The team used the same formula to create an AI to answer questions on sea level science.
Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

AGU News 

Save the date for AGU25 in New Orleans, 15-19 December
Registration for AGU’s 2025 annual meeting will open in late August. Full-time journalists and press officers can attend free of charge. [AGU25] 

AGU Wins Power of Associations Gold Award for promoting ethics in climate intervention
In October 2024, AGU published the Ethical Framework Principles for Climate Intervention Research in response to the increasing urgency of the climate crisis and growing interest in large-scale interventions, such as carbon dioxide removal and solar radiation modification. AGU affirms that reducing carbon emissions must remain the top priority in addressing climate change. [press release][report] 

Featured Research 

AI assistant can help scientists study the ocean and Mars
Using ChatGPT, scientists filled the program with information on sea level science so scientists could speed up their research time. The system is currently live and allows anyone to ask it a question in simple language about sea level science. It will attempt to give answers about things like current recorded coast levels, flooding predictions, or mathematical equations. They used the same system, with some key information shifts, to create an AI to answer questions about Mars, as well. Using Nasa data, users can ask the AI about wind speeds or storms that are or might happen on Mars. [JGR Machine Learning and Computation study][Chatbot lab assistants for climate science media roundtable] 

15 US coastal airports are sinking
San Francisco, Portland and Seattle airports were found to be the top fastest sinkers. Their sinking rates were based off the geology of the ground underneath with many being built on former wetlands or floodplains. They found that 96% of airports are at low risk currently for damage from the sinking. Tampa, Seattle, Orlando and the Reagan National Airport, however, all ranked at high to very high risk for damage. [Earth and Space Sciences study] 

Shrubification of the Arctic slows release of greenhouse gases
Climate change has caused an invasion of southern shrubs into the Arctic tundra, but this encroaching shrubbery could slow the tundra’s transition away from carbon storage to greenhouse gas emitter. The shrubs absorb more carbon dioxide than the native moss, lichen, and tussocks.  Scientists working at Trail Valley Creek in Canada found the increased soil temperature in the winter associated with shrubs was offset by cooler soil temperature during the summer thanks to shade shrubs provide. At the highest level of shrubs, the valley absorbed more carbon than it released. Scientists will have to take changing ecosystems, like more shrubs, into account when modeling the impacts of climate change.  [JGR Biogeosciences study] 

Why crop yield decreases at high temperatures
Scientists find that water stress drives the connection between surface temperature and crop yield loss, providing information to help improve predictions of agricultural productivity under climate change. [Eos editor’s highlight] [AGU Advances study] 

How earthquakes shake up microbial lake communities
After an earthquake, a lake’s geological, chemical, and biological components get reconfigured. A new study dives into the effects of seismic shifts on the Himalayas’ Lake Cuopu. [Eos research spotlight] [JGR Biogeosciences study] 

07/25/2025: Extreme malaria outbreaks could double by 2100

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Anopheles stephensi sucks a blood meal from a human host. Anopheles mosquitoes are the primary insect vector for the microorganism that causes malaria. Credit: Jim Gathany/CDC, Wikimedia.

Featured Research

Ocean will hold onto carbon long after greenhouse gas levels drop
The ocean absorbs carbon dioxide from the air, acting as a carbon sink for anthropogenic emissions. If efforts to control emissions and remove legacy carbon from the air are successful, the ocean will become a carbon source, outgassing stored carbon dioxide back to the atmosphere. Scientists modeled the response of the ocean to different rates of carbon removal, finding the ocean lags behind the atmosphere as it ramps down, which could complicate carbon capture planning. Slower removal allows the ocean to spend more time under climate change conditions, eventually causing larger outgassing. [JGR Oceans study]

Malaria epidemic threat rising as climate warms
Malaria rates have decreased since 2000, but researchers are warning warmer temperatures and more rain will encourage high densities of mosquitoes and raise exposure risk for people in some regions of Africa in coming decades. A projected increase in urban population density could further the potential for future extreme outbreaks. Scientists project that central and west Africa will see the highest epidemic risk starting as early as 2030 to 2060. [GeoHealth study]

Europewide database shows who gets the most lightning and hail storms
The database involves all hail and lightning storms that occurred across Europe over an 11-year time span. Researchers found that during the summer, mountain ranges like the Alps and Pyrenees experience more hail and lightning, and areas around the Mediterranean see more during autumn. The establishment of this dataset could help provide a basis for future research into hail and lightning storms in Europe. [JGR Atmospheres study]

New method tackles turbulence of hurricane landfall
As hurricanes reach the coast, wind speed changes because of the different topography and structures it must navigate around. Knowing the wind speeds as hurricanes reach land can help researchers to understand how much damage might occur and for classifying hurricanes based on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale’s 1 to 5 rating system. Researchers created the first simulation of how wind 10 meters above the ground interacts with topography changes once the hurricane reaches land. [Geophysical Research Letters study][University of Alabama press release]

A transatlantic communications cable does double duty
A new device enables existing submarine cable networks to measure deep-sea movements. It could ultimately help improve tsunami warnings and climate monitoring. [Eos research highlight] [Geophysical Research Letters letter]

Abrupt climate shifts likely as global temperatures keep rising
A computer vision technique modified to scan climate model data is helping scientists predict where and when rapid climatic shifts will happen in the future. [Eos research highlight] [AGU Advances study]

07/17/2025: Commentaries and the importance of the Anthropocene

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A graph depicting the increase in temperatures, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane over the last 300,000 years with a sharp increase during the last 100 years.

A graph depicting the changing temperature and gases in the atmosphere over the course of the last 30,000 years.

The Anthropocene and the commentaries over the last year
Over the last year, several commentaries were published in AGU journals, including one this month, over the debate on whether the Anthropocene should be considered an official epoch. The Anthropocene is an unofficial geologic time period, like the Holocene and Pleistocene, characterized by human activity having a substantial impact on the planet. In 2024, the International Union of Geological Sciences debated whether humanity’s impact on the planet has been profound enough to define a new geological epoch. While the governing committee declined to issue its stamp of approval to usher in the new age, the debate around the Anthropocene continues. Here’s how the arguments break down:

In a commentary published in July of 2024, researchers argued that the timescale of the Anthropocene is not what matters. They argued against an epoch, which denotes and requires a time frame, and instead that it should be viewed as the Anthropocene Event. This would allow researchers to ignore the time frame and instead focus on the Anthropocene as a series of human actions that have had a substantial impact on Earth. [Earth’s Future commentary]

Commentary published in March argued that the Anthropocene epoch, which the authors argue started 72 years ago, was essential to conveying the full gravity of humanity’s impacts on the planet. In their opinion, a new epoch would underscore the seriousness of the situation and that the ongoing changes to Earth’s atmosphere and oceans are not easily changeable nor reversible. [AGU Advances commentary]

In a similar vein, just this month another researcher published a commentary arguing that the Anthropocene as an epoch is important for highlighting all the issues accompanying climate change. The researcher goes on to say that a new epoch would help unite humanity under a single term and, therefore, a singular goal. They believe this common goal would counter nationalist impulses and allow researchers and communities to work better together to fight climate change. [Earth’s Future commentary]

Featured Research

Southern Ocean could see increased temperatures and ice melting if AMOC slows
The Southern Ocean would see increasing in temperatures and more ice melt over the course of several decades if the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, a system of ocean currents in the Atlantic Ocean, weakens. Researchers highlighted that the weakening current on the Southern Ocean would be smaller than the direct impacts projected from global greenhouse gas emissions. [JGR Oceans study]

Scientists face limitations accessing seafloor information
Recent reductions in U.S. oceanographic assets are limiting scientists’ ability to access vital research materials in the ocean. [Editor’s highlight] [AGU Advances commentary]

How plants respond to scattered sunlight
A new study investigates how diffuse light affects the water cycle and carbon uptake across forest, grassland, shrub, and agricultural areas. [Eos Research Spotlight] [JGR Biogeosciences study]

The power of naming space weather events
Mother’s Day Storm? Why not! Bastille Day Storm? Mais oui! Space scientists make the case for a standardized naming convention for geomagnetic storms: to increase public awareness and preparedness. [Editor’s highlight] [Perspectives of Earth and Space Scientists commentary]

07/10/2025: For two years, an important greenhouse gas absorber went carbon neutral 

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A peatland of green grass and bushes in Iquitos, Peru.

A peatland in the Amazon rainforest in Iquitos, Peru became carbon neutral after prolonged heat and lowered water levels.
Credit: Psamathe/Wikimedia

Featured Research 

Amazonian peatland switched from being a carbon absorber to entirely carbon neutral
Peatlands play an important role in the carbon cycle by absorbing carbon dioxide. Researchers found the Amazonian peatland suffered from lowered water levels that left the tops of the peat exposed and allowed them to decompose faster. Prolonged periods of cloudless skies and higher sun intensities limited the photosynthesis of surrounding plants, which added to the decrease in carbon absorption. For two years, this combination switched the peatland from a carbon sink to carbon neutral, where the peat did not absorb more carbon dioxide than it released. [Geophysical Research Letters study] 

700 kilometer-long extinct chain of volcanoes found in southern China
Nearly 6 km underground, scientists found 700 km of igneous rocks, formed during the cooling of magma. These rocks were formed roughly 800 million years ago during the Tonian period when the Rodinia supercontinent broke apart and created the Yangtze Block, which is now southern China. The existence of these extinct volcanoes would extend the known continental arc system another 400-900 km inland, away from the current northern margin. [JGR Solid Earth study] 

New fun fact: small ocean currents are determined by ocean size
Ocean striations are hidden, weak currents that run eastward and westward. Researchers had previously measured striations found in smaller areas such as the Mediterranean Sea and the South China Sea and found they are around half the size of the small currents found in open oceans. A comparison of striations in the Northern Pacific Ocean and in the South China Sea found that the width of the ocean’s basin limits the size of its striations. [Geophysical Research Letters study] 

Deep root respiration helps break down rocks
The carbon dioxide that results from respiration in and around deep roots is an essential component in the chemical weathering of sandstone rock soils. [Editor’s Highlight] [AGU Advances study] 

More bubbles means more variation in ocean carbon storage
A new model accounting for the role of bubbles in air-sea gas exchanges suggests that ocean carbon uptake is more variable than previously thought. [Eos Research Spotlight] [Global Biogeochemical Cycles study]  

07/03/2025: AI could help monitor and predict earthquakes

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Cartoon illustration of Cascadia subduction zone

Subduction zones, like this one along the western coast of North America, bring the largest earthquakes that AI can help monitor.
Credit: USGS John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis

Featured Research

New AI tool could help predict earthquakes before they happen
Scientists trained a neural network with a model of subduction zones, areas where tectonic plates are moving beneath each other and where the largest earthquakes happen, known as megathrust earthquakes. The research team used an ‘explainable AI’ which means the AI program runs its test using the models to make forecasts. It then explains to scientists where it focused for its forecasting and why. In this case, the program found that certain areas of tectonic plates moved hours to months before megathrust earthquakes, which could give scientists a better idea of where to prioritize monitoring. While the program cannot forecast earthquakes on its own yet, it can help researchers potentially better their own forecasting.  [Geophysical Research Letter study]

Model of climate mitigation option showed promise for water storage in Middle East
An analysis of the tradeoffs of stratospheric aerosol intervention for freshwater worldwide finds more benefits for drylands than wet regions like Siberia and the Amazon. The aerosols, fine particles that stay in the air and reflect sunlight, limited the increase of available water, like slowing glacial ice melting, and kept ground water from evaporating. The method performed particularly well in the Middle East. However, the aerosols decreased necessary and important runoff in many areas, runoff that is often used for irrigation or drinking water supplies. [JGR Atmospheres study]

Spring soil moisture in the Tibetan Plateau predicts summer rain in China
As wind swells over the Tibetan Plateau, it picks up the moisture in the soil and carries it as the wind travels eastward. Researchers found that if the Tibetan Plateau’s soil is extra wet in the spring, East China will see more rain than usually during the summer, while North China will see the opposite. The scientists hope this will allow for water resource management and better planning for droughts or flooding. [JGR Atmospheres study]

New mechanism explains the mysteries of deep earthquakes
By analyzing forty deep earthquakes around the world, researchers discover the key role of a dual mechanism that allows earthquakes to grow larger and release more stress. [Eos Editor’s highlight] [AGU Advances study]

United Kingdom space weather prediction system goes operational
Officials now have access to a suite of models they can use to head off damage to critical infrastructure. [Eos research spotlight] [Space Weather study]

6/26/2025: Map shows where communities face compounding climate hazards

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Combinations of heatwaves with wildfires, flooding, and crop failure will be more common by 2100. Credit: NOAA

Featured Research

Combinations of heatwaves with wildfires and other climate hazards to increase by 2100
New models show that under current greenhouse gas emissions, communities will have to battle multiple climate hazards at once. An increase of paired heatwaves and wildfires will be seen globally. Heatwaves coupled with crop failures will be more prevalent in Africa and the Americas, and in combination with soil drought around the Mediterranean. [Earth’s Future study]

Massive, exposed rock beds may have caused Snowball Earth
Earth entered two Snowball climate events, where ice covers most of the Earth, between 1 billion to 540 million years ago. How exactly the Earth came to be covered in ice has remained a mystery. Now researchers argue that the weathering of an area of land made of fresh volcanic rocks that stretched from Alaska through Northern Canada to Greenland, may be to blame. The weathering process removes carbon dioxide from the air, lowering the temperatures in a reverse greenhouse effect. The authors say ancient Earth has the perfect climate for a snowball effect, with a large volcanic explosion, low climate temperatures, and no plants that existed yet to obscure the rock’s view. [Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets study]

Synesthesia in humans inspires a new way for driverless cars to navigate busy city streets
A new machine learning model called Synesthesia of Machines outperformed other path prediction systems for AI-driven cars in a new study. The new method, which uses multiple input methods like mmWave radar, LiDAR, RBG-Depth cameras and light detection, responded faster and more accurately during model testing for intelligent transportation systems in AI-driven cars. [Radio Science study]

The risk of health problems will only increase as Earth passes planetary boundaries
A review of the latest science on “planetary boundaries” found a direct association between health risks and a breach of nine critical thresholds the researchers say Earth must maintain or risk catastrophic environmental loss. The review found a correlation between issues including increased temperatures and pollution with higher cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and worsening health for vulnerable populations. [GeoHealth review]

What’s changed—and what hasn’t—since the EPA’s endangerment finding
A scientist-authored brief played a role in the 2009 determination that greenhouse gases endanger public health. With the finding now up for reconsideration, the same scientists revisit their opinion. [Eos research spotlight] [AGU Advances study]

Where do Antarctic submarine canyons get their marine life?
A new study investigates how much of the phytoplankton in the Palmer Deep submarine canyon is homemade and how much is delivered. [Eos research highlights] [JGR Oceans study]

Early apes evolved in tropical forests disturbed by fires and volcanoes
Fossils discovered at an early Miocene site in Kenya include a new type of early ape and offer clues about the environment inhabited by human ancestors. [Eos research highlight] [Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology study]

 

6/19/2025: Extreme heat may raise risks of early and preterm births

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Graphic of the Earth with South America centered shows average cloud fraction on a scale from white to blue. Location of Hadley Cell circulation is marked.

Marine storm cloud zones have shifted poleward and narrowed, and the changes are contributing to our planet’s growing energy imbalance. Credit: Michala Garrison/ NASA Earth Observatory

AGU News

AGU and IPCC partner to expand access to publications for work on Seventh Assessment Report
Access to AGU journals will provide critical climate research and data for co-authors from developing countries and anyone facing access barriers to content. [press release]

Heat wave science roundup

  • Heatwave-flooding double-disasters are increasing [Geophysical Research Letters study]
  • Current city planning can’t keep up with combined heat and drought events [Earth’s Future study]
  • Wet heat or dry heat? Humidity lags on hottest days as climate warms [Earth’s Future study]
  • Unhoused older adults struggle to cope with rising temperatures in Phoenix [GeoHealth study]
  • How urban greenspace compares in Beijing and NYC, and who benefits [Earth’s Future study]
  • Where to hang out to avoid heat-related emergency department visits [GeoHealth study]
  • Temperature-related deaths could rise five-fold by end of century in US [GeoHealth study]
  • Urban overheating risks are personal, study finds [Earth’s Future study][press release]

Featured Research

Extreme heat may raise risks of early and preterm births
Scientists looked at the births of nearly four million babies between 1990 and 2017 and found an association between preterm and early-term births during extreme heat waves, compared to the rest of the year. Heat-related preterm births (between 28 and36 weeks) were more commonly found in women over 35 whereas women under the age of 25 had a greater association with early-term births (between 37 and 38 weeks) during the hottest days of each year. [GeoHealth study][see also: flooding disasters]

Earth’s storm cloud zones are shrinking, and that means warmer oceans
Earth’s cloudiest regions form a band around the equator and in the middle latitudes, where converging winds generate storms. These bands have been contracting by 1.5% to 3% per decade since the turn of the century. The shrinkage lets more sunlight reach the surface, warming the oceans and tipping the balance of energy absorbed and energy reflected back to space. [Geophysical Research Letters study][NASA Earth Observatory graphics]

AI forecasts PM2.5 pollution at U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide
Fine particulates (PM2.5) bring serious, expensive risks for cardiovascular health. The U.S. State Department and EPA monitor air quality at 80 embassies. Researchers at NASA applied deep learning to satellite imagery, using the ground monitoring data for calibration to extend accurate 3-day forecasts to 269 embassy locations worldwide. [Earth and Space Science study]

Fracking high stress faults risks bigger earthquakes
Injecting fluids underground for fracking, wastewater disposal or geothermal energy raises pressure in the rock, which can cause small earthquakes. New research finds stress, pore pressure, and rock structure all affect earthquake magnitudes, and offers better interpretation of seismic signals to assess the risks from these projects. [Geophysical Research Letters study]

Water density shifts can drive rapid changes in AMOC strength
High-latitude variations in density, which appear to be driven by changes in atmospheric pressure, can propagate to midlatitudes and affect the current’s strength within just a year. [Eos research spotlight][Geophysical Research Letters study]

How Greenland’s glacial troughs influence ocean circulation
Glacial troughs in Antarctica promote mixing of warm and cold water, affecting global climate. A new study explores whether the same is true in troughs along Greenland’s coastline. [Eos research spotlight][ Journal of Geophysical Research Letters: Oceans study]

5/30/2025: California’s earthquakes run late

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Aerial photograph of a dry grass plain, blue sky in background. A furrow of the San Andreas Fault runs vertically.

The San Andreas Fault cuts across southern California’s Carrizo Plain. Credit: Doc Searls

Featured Research

Cooling the Great Barrier Reef likely presents low risk of remote problems
A case study of the Great Barrier Reef, which has suffered coral bleaching from record high ocean temperatures in recent years, used the Community Earth System Model to investigate effects of interventions such as marine cloud brightening far from the treatment location under a spectrum of scenarios and intensities. Results suggest limited, localized cooling over the reef in summer has a low risk of remote impacts. The authors say their approach can be applied to risk management of climate interventions for other sensitive ecosystems. [Geophysical Research Letters study]

Earthquakes on California’s faults tend to run late
California’s fault systems have had an outsized influence on earthquake forecast models. Intrigued that New Zealand’s earthquakes are rarely “late,” researchers examined the time of recurrence for 210 faults in five tectonically active regions around the world, drawing on data from 890 large prehistoric and historic earthquakes. California was the outlier, possibly because of the predominance of fast-moving slip-faults there. The researchers suggest a different calculation may be more useful for forecasters elsewhere.[Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth study]

On-the-ground solar storm nowcasting for the UK
Severe to extreme geomagnetic storms can induce currents in ground-based infrastructure, with unfortunate consequences. New nowcast and forecast codes estimate geomagnetically induced currents in Great Britain’s high voltage power transmission network, high pressure gas pipeline network and railway network using ground and satellite data.[Space Weather study]

River alkalinization and ocean acidification face off in coastal waters
Factors ranging from rainfall to nutrient runoff to changing mining and agricultural practices drove decades-long pH trends in the Chesapeake Bay. [Eos research spotlight][AGU Advances study]

AI pictures augment rock datasets key to subsurface engineering
Boosting digital rock images with AI-powered augmentation and quality analysis makes the invisible underground environment more accessible. [Eos editors’ highlight][Water Resources Research study]

5/22/2025: Who’s exposed to oil and gas wastewater?

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Oil production from submerged federal lands on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. Credit: Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement

AGU News

Weather & climate 100-hour science-a-thon next week
U.S. federally-funded climate scientists and meteorologists will hold a public-facing, nonpartisan 100-hour relay of virtual 20-minute talks sharing their work and why it matters for every American. Viewers will get a chance to interact with the speakers via moderated questions. [livestream Wednesday 28 May to Sunday 1 June]

Featured Research

Storm prediction gets 10 times faster thanks to AI
Forecasters hope new algorithms will lead to earlier warnings of when dangerous weather is on the way. [Eos research spotlight][Geophysical Research Letters study]

Who’s exposed to oil and gas wastewater?
Oil and gas extraction uses a lot of water — four trillion liters in 2021. Most of the contaminated wastewater (98%) is disposed into deep injection wells, but demand for fresh water means “produced water” is sometimes put to other uses, such as irrigation, livestock watering or road treatments. Contaminated water can also leak or spill. Information is spotty about exactly which chemicals contaminate the water and their toxicity, mobility and ultimate environmental fate. A review of what is known about human exposure identifies key knowledge gaps. [GeoHealth study]

Heatwave and flooding double disasters are increasing
Some atmospheric conditions have the potential to generate paired disasters, like heat + drought or heavy rain + wind. The conditions that bring extreme heat and extreme rain are typically opposing, but synchronicity has increased 34% since the 1980s and is rising. [Geophysical Research Letters study]

Scientists reveal hidden heat and flood hazards across Texas
A wider swath of the Lone Star State may be affected by more heat and flood events than previous recordkeeping suggests. [Eos research spotlight][AGU Advances study]

Deforestation is reducing rainfall in the Amazon
Researchers found that between 2002 and 2015, a 3.2% reduction in Brazilian forest cover led to a 5.4% reduction in precipitation levels. [Eos research spotlight][AGU Advances study]

Heat and pollution events are deadly, especially in the Global South
Researchers found that the combination of heat waves and high PM2.5 pollution led to nearly 700,000 premature deaths in the past 30 years — most of which occurred in the Global South. [Eos research spotlight][GeoHealth study]

Earth’s last rapid global warming event had a long recovery
During the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, global temperatures jumped 5 degrees Celsius in conjunction with a burst of carbon dioxide. New research suggests the recovery took more than 140,000 years — which may be bad news for our current carbon cycle situation. [Eos research spotlight][Geophysical Research Letters study]

Shade is not enough to cool old forests in a new climate
It’s usually cooler under a forest than outside the forest, but that natural temperature buffering didn’t make global warming any less strong during the last 45 years in an old-growth forest of Oregon. [Eos editors’ highlight][AGU Advances study]