Monday, June 22, 2026

Climate Change

ClimateEcosystemsEnvironmental Science
Jessica Espinosa

As Oceans Change, HABs Invade

Global ocean temperatures are currently rising and have been for decades. Scientists are working to discover how this changing climate affects species around the world, from the very large to the very small. This includes phytoplankton, the microscopic marine algae that live in most bodies of water around the globe and produce half the world’s oxygen. But some of these species are toxic, and can cause harm to human and wildlife alike if they are able to grow out of control. Though a number of studies have been undertaken to try and understand more about these harmful algal blooms, much is still unknown about their growth. A group of scientists were interested in how changing ocean temperatures affected the geographic ranges of harmful algal blooms over time in order to better predict blooms in the future.

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ClimateEcosystemsEnvironmental Science
Elisabeth Lang

Coral reefs are in hot water: Could upwelling save the day?

Coral reefs do best in warm water, but when the water gets too hot, they bleach. Upwelling, which brings cooler water from the deeper parts of the ocean, occurs worldwide, including where coral reefs can be found. With climate change, ocean temperatures are increasing and coral bleaching events are happening more frequently. Could upwelling help protect coral reefs from hot water?

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ClimateEcosystemsEnvironmental Science
Christina M. Marvin

A humble sponge in Indonesia may be creating cancer medicine

Collaborators in the United States and Indonesia knew that an Indo-Pacific sea dwelling sponge produced medicinally important chemicals – they now report that those products may also treat cancer.

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Environmental Science
Samantha Andres

What is Earth’s tree carrying capacity and how might it mitigate climate change?

Author: Samantha E Andres ARTICLE: Bastin, Jean-Francois, et al. “The global tree restoration potential.” Science 365.6448 (2019): 76-79. DOI: 10.1126/science.aax0848

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ClimateEcosystemsEnvironmental Science
Christina M. Marvin

A Race against Climate Change: Predatory Arctic Shorebirds vs Insect Prey

What happens when one organism in a food chain adapts to climate disruption faster than another one? Prey is disappearing for some predators and species decline might be the result.

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ClimateEcosystemsEnvironmental Science
Sienna Wessel

Where have all the flowers gone? Climate change is driving the loss of forbs and diversity in Californian grasslands

Science predicts that climate change will disrupt many natural processes and cycles and there is ever increasing media coverage regarding expectations for Earth’s future under these pressures. Yet there is little popular discussion about how plant communities will be impacted by these changes despite the fact that they represent the first level of the food web, support entire ecosystems of species, and contain one of the only organisms that can capture free energy to produce life. Understanding the ways that these communities are changing and will change in the future is crucially important to seeing the full picture of how climate change will re-shape life as we know it.

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ClimateEnvironmental Science
Whitney Kroschel

Mosquitoes in Winter (what the..?)

In many regions witnessing a mosquito in winter is common. Though many mosquitoes die off when temperatures get too cold outside, many of them don’t. It all depends on the species; and with warming climates, we can expect to see a lot more of them in the coming decades.

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Case StudiesClimateEcosystemsEnvironmental ScienceRemote EnvironmentsScience through timeToxicology
Anita Masse

Unleashing Pollutants: Environmental Fate of Antarctica In a Warmer World

Antarctica has been a depository for pollutants for decades. The brutal cold has kept them dormant and unable to inflict harmful effects on nature. As temperatures rise and ice melts, what is the fate of these pollutants in this unique landscape?

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Environmental Science
Abigail Bezrutczyk

Planting Trees for your Next Flight: Studying Behavior Around Carbon Offsetting

Want to fly without the carbon guilt? Offsetting programs let you pay to plant trees to take that carbon from the air, and researchers are studying how social factors and global policies might influence these environmentally-minded behaviors.

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ClimateEcosystemsEnvironmental ScienceScience through time
Lindsay Green-Gavrielidis

It matters where you eat: seabird foraging strategies alter their responses to climate change

Climate warming in the Arctic is happening faster than other regions of the globe and leading to earlier springs. The timing of spring is important for ecosystems because it often signals the arrival of food resources and favorable weather. In Arctic seabirds, springs arrival often begins the start of breeding season. A recent study looked at how the timing of spring has changed in the Arctic and what impact this may be having on Arctic seabirds based on where birds forage for food. The results suggest that birds that feed in the upper layers of the ocean have been strongly impacted by climate change and have significantly advanced their breeding.

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