The climate warmed up almost as quickly 56 million years ago as it is doing now. When a huge amount of CO₂ entered the atmosphere in a short period of time, it led to large-scale forest fires and erosion. Mei Nelissen, PhD candidate at NIOZ and UU, and her colleagues were able to see this very clearly in the layers of sediment drilled off the Norwegian coast. The research was published in PNAS on January 19.

Freshwater browning is stunting fish growth of some species, shrinking populations of others and changing the composition of fish communities, McGill-led research suggests. “Browning” refers to freshwater bodies turning tea-coloured, a phenomenon driven by higher levels of dissolved organic matter and/or higher levels of iron in the water. Causes include changes in land use and climate, and reduced acid precipitation.

Climate change has a wide range of effects on wildlife. It affects seasonal migration, reproduction times, body size and mass, and disrupts ecological processes, thereby posing challenges for the populations of some species. An international team of scientists has now analysed more than 200 scientific studies on 73 animal species in a meta-study to determine exactly how climate change is related to phenology, morphology and population trends. The team explains in the journal Nature Communications that phenological traits – seasonal developmental phenomena – are very sensitive to temperature changes and that this represents a mechanism for many species to cope with climate change.