Accounting for atmospheric degradation of levoglucosan is essential for accurate identification of biomass burning sources in tropical regions, but as much as 88% of levoglucosan may be lost before measurement. After correcting for this atmospheric loss, the researchers identified urban domestic use of fuels, rather than agricultural burning, as the dominant source of PM_2.5 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. 

In a new perspective paper, Qin Huang, of Arizona State University, and colleagues, propose that the worst damage from extreme weather events could be prevented through Weather Jiu-Jitsu, a  theory-based approach to “nudge” weather systems away from harmful trajectories. The paper publishes June 24 in the open-access journal PLOS Water. 

As India grapples with searing heat and an erratic monsoon, a perspective paper reveals the crisis is worse than thought—and offers a surprising ray of hope.