A new study from the University of Copenhagen shows that marine heatwaves can disrupt microscopic moving structures on the surface of reef-building corals that support their oxygen uptake. When seawater temperature crosses a critical threshold, this oxygen supply mechanism collapses, increasing the risk of coral death.

New research led by the University of Utah documents how carbon markets, a pillar of climate policy, fail to accurately account for the risks U.S. forests face from climate change. The team produced maps that show where the risk of loss from fire, insects and drought are most elevated, and therefore best avoided for forest preservation projects.

Leipzig. Aerosols and clouds play a key role in the Earth’s climate budget. However, the extent to which they reflect solar energy depends heavily on how much water the particles can absorb. This so-called hygroscopicity has so far been represented in a simplified manner in climate models. An international research team led by the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) has now demonstrated through a global study that the models are not precise enough, particularly in urban regions. In chemically complex and polluted regions such as Delhi or Cairo, there is likely to be greater hygroscopic growth and higher water uptake, which could partly explain the observed regional cooling trends or the slower warming on the Asian and African continents, the researchers write in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, published by the Nature Publishing Group.