With millions of visitors expected in North Texas during the FIFA World Cup, researchers at The University of Texas at Arlington will conduct a field experiment to measure how large crowds, increased traffic and more flights affect the air quality around AT&T Stadium.

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are long, narrow bands of intense water vapor transport that move large amounts of moisture from low to mid latitudes, resembling giant rivers in the sky. They are gaining widespread attention because of their potential to trigger flooding across the Japanese archipelago. Researchers at University of Tsukuba have discovered that influenced by global warming and the strengthening of the North Pacific Subtropical High, the intensity of water vapor transport in ARs has increased by approximately 8% over the past 42 years (1981-2022).

Kyoto, Japan -- As climate change alters the temperatures of animal habitats, it seems natural that endotherms, warm-blooded animals like us, would prefer to hang out in the shade during hot weather. The use of microhabitats in the sun and shade is an important thermoregulatory behavior that has been reported across a wide range of animal species, and researchers are becoming increasingly interested in how animals -- especially those with long lifespans -- flexibly cope with thermal stress.

Japanese macaques, sometimes colloquially called snow monkeys, reside further north than any other non-human primates, and also have the highest hair density, which may make it difficult for them to dissipate heat. While observing some macaques in the field, a researcher at Kyoto University noticed that some of them appeared to choose resting sites that were neither fully sunny, nor fully shaded.

"That observation led me to wonder whether semi-shade might play a more meaningful role in thermoregulation than previously recognized," says corresponding author Yoshiyuki Tabuse.

A new UN University report warns that artificial intelligence is driving rapidly escalating environmental costs far beyond electricity use alone, including major impacts on water consumption, land use, carbon emissions, mineral extraction, and e-waste. The report estimates AI-related electricity demand could nearly triple by 2030, with associated emissions comparable to those of entire industrialized nations. It also highlights widening global inequities, with environmental burdens concentrated in regions supplying minerals and hosting infrastructure while benefits flow elsewhere. The authors call for urgent international action, including transparency standards, efficiency-focused design, resource limits, sustainable infrastructure planning, and stronger environmental governance across the full AI lifecycle.

Mangroves could store less carbon – and even begin releasing it – as sea levels rise, new research suggests.

A new international study is challenging a long-held belief about how ecosystems continue absorbing carbon under global warming. Scientists found that carbon uptake increased during recent decades, but not primarily due to plants adapting to higher temperatures, as previously thought. Instead, the increase is largely driven by plants using water more efficiently while at the same time developing larger tree and crop canopies giving plants more leaf area to absorb light and fix carbon. These factors appear to matter much more than temperature adaptation to determine how much carbon dioxide ecosystems can absorb in a warming world.

For the first time, AWI researchers have performed a detailed calculation of the amount of carbon stored in permafrost in Arctic river deltas. In a new study in the journal Nature Communications, they point out the risks endangering the storage function of these highly sensitive landscapes due to rapid climate change.