A tiny single-celled organism may have a big impact on how the world’s basic chemical building blocks cycle between living things and the non-living environment. Called Polarella, the algal genus is a dinoflagellate that was once thought to be restricted to polar regions of Earth, but a team has revealed that it is abundant and influential in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico.

 

Positively and neutrally buoyant microplastics mainly outflow from the Seto Inland Sea into the Pacific Ocean, whereas negatively buoyant MPs hardly leave the Seto Inland Sea and are primarily deposited and degraded near river mouths. Traditional microplastics are difficult to degrade quickly and thus remain in the marine environment for long periods. However, the use of biodegradable microplastics can significantly reduce microplastic pollution in the marine environment, especially in sediments.

Some species of fig trees store calcium carbonate in their trunks – essentially turning themselves (partially) into stone, new research has found. The team of Kenyan, U.S., Austrian, and Swiss scientists found that the trees could draw carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere and store it as calcium carbonate ‘rocks’ in the surrounding soil. 

In a study published in National Science Review, researchers present multiple lines of observational and modeling evidence for a ~4% decline in global atmospheric oxidation capacity in 2020, reflected by a drop in hydroxyl radical (OH) concentrations. Using satellite-based carbon monoxide data, as well as methane and methyl chloroform observations, the study reveals that this OH reduction occurred in both hemispheres—approximately 2.4% in the Northern Hemisphere and 5.7% in the Southern Hemisphere—driven by distinct mechanisms. In the Northern Hemisphere, reduced NO_x emissions due to COVID-19 lockdowns led to lower OH and tropospheric ozone levels, while in the Southern Hemisphere, massive emissions of reactive carbon from unprecedented Australian wildfires caused OH depletion but tropospheric ozone increases. This contrast in tropospheric ozone anomalies is further corroborated by satellite data. The findings help explain one of the record-breaking rises in atmospheric methane in 2020 and underscore the critical role of both natural and anthropogenic factors in shaping Earth’s atmospheric chemistry and global methane budget.

Forests are falling behind in the race against climate change, with new research revealing it takes centuries for tree populations to adapt—far too slow to keep pace with today’s rapidly warming world.