ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE

New scale to characterize strength and impacts of atmospheric river storms

A team of researchers led by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego has created a scale to characterize the strength and impacts of "atmospheric rivers," long narrow bands of atmospheric water vapor pushed along by strong winds. They are prevalent over the Pacific Ocean and can deliver to the Western United States much of its precipitation during just a few individual winter storms.

Earth's largest extinction event likely took plants first

Little life could endure the Earth-spanning cataclysm known as the Great Dying, but plants may have suffered its wrath long before many animal counterparts, says new research led by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Identifying factors that influence mercury levels in tuna

Most consumers' exposure to toxic methylmercury occurs when they eat fish. But research just published in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology could help clarify why methylmercury concentrations in tuna vary geographically.

Ecological benefits of part-night lighting revealed

Night-time pollinators benefit from street lights being switched off in the middle of the night Switching off street lights to save money and energy could have a positive knock-on effect on our nocturnal pollinators, according to new research.

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