As opposed to a constant flow from sources above and below ground, periods of heavy rain and runoff deliver the greatest amounts of fertilizer-derived nitrogen through creeks, rivers, and storm drains into the northern Gulf of Mexico, a team of scientists led by Boston College researchers reports in the journal Communications Earth and Environment. The findings clarify when and how most nitrogen pollution is transported and can be used to develop policies to protect the northern Gulf of Mexico.

Some of the world's smallest animals and their tiny poops could aid in the fight against climate change. A Dartmouth-led study reports that clay dust sprayed on the surface of seawater converts free-floating carbon particulates into food for zooplankton, which the microscopic animals later deposit deep into the sea as feces. The particulates are the remnants of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere by marine plants that re-enters the atmosphere when the plants die. This new method redirects the carbon into the marine food chain.

The way hydrocarbon molecules interact with light can affect the production of nitrous acid in the atmosphere. In this study, researchers used an ultrafast electron camera to image the motions of hydrocarbon molecules at ultrafast, ultrasmall scales. They identified a proton transfer step followed by an out-of-plane twisting motion as key components of energy relaxation after molecules interact with light.

Members of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) have elected Alan Sealls to the position of AMS president-elect for 2025, as well as electing six new members of the AMS Council: Stephen B. Bennett, Danielle A. Breezy, Jenny Frankel-Reed, Stephanie C. Herring, John M. Lanicci, and Russ A. Schumacher.