Young tropical forests play a crucial role in slowing climate change. Growing trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air, using photosynthesis to build it into their roots, trunks, and branches, where they can store carbon for decades or even centuries. But, according to a new study published in Nature Communications, this CO2 absorption may be slowed down by the lack of a crucial element that trees need to grow: nitrogen.  Coauthored by Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies ecologist Sarah Batterman, the study estimates that if recovering tropical forests had enough nitrogen in their soils, they might absorb up to an additional 820 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year for a decade.

A new interdisciplinary study led by researchers from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), with collaborators from the City University of Hong Kong, has found that El Niño events significantly reduce life expectancy across high-income Pacific Rim countries, resulting in economic losses of up to US$35 trillion by the end of the 21st century.

Using over six decades of mortality records from 10 high-income Pacific Rim countries, the research team shows that El Niño is a persistent driver of health and economic loss, not just a short-term weather anomaly. El Niño-driven climate extremes, such as heatwaves and air pollution, disrupt healthcare systems and raise long-term mortality risks, particularly among vulnerable populations.

The research, published in the scientific journal Nature Climate Change and part of NTU’s Climate Transformation Programme, shows that El Niño events not only cause immediate health impacts but also persistently slow long-term improvements in mortality rates, leading to enduring reductions in life expectancy.

A study reconstructs rainfall patterns during the extreme warming during the early Paleogene Period, 66 to 48 millions years ago. Conducted by University of Utah atmospheric scientists and Colorado School of Mines geologists, the research examined “proxies” in the geologic record and drew conclusions that suggest rainfall becomes more intense, but more irregular when Earth gets hot.