ScienceDaily: Earth & Climate News

An unknown culprit has been removing oxygen from our atmosphere for at least 800,000 years, and an analysis of air bubbles preserved in Antarctic ice for up to 1.5 million years has revealed the likely suspect.

Researchers have discovered how some species of single-celled algae lived through the last mass extinction, a finding that could change how we understand global ocean processes.

A new synthesis reveals mismatches between above- and below-ground plant phenology due to climate change. These findings are important to understand the consequences of climate change on terrestrial biodiversity.

Far beneath the ice shelves of the Antarctic, there is more marine life than expected.

The accelerating melting of the Himalayan glaciers threatens the water supply of millions of people in Asia, new research warns. The study concludes that over recent decades the Himalayan glaciers have lost ice ten times more quickly over the last few decades than on average since the last major glacier expansion 400-700 years ago, a period known as the Little Ice Age.

Tiny microbes belching toxic gas helped cause -- and prolong -- the biggest mass extinction in Earth's history, a new study suggests.

A machine-learning approach developed for sparse data reliably predicts fault slip in laboratory earthquakes and could be key to predicting fault slip and potentially earthquakes in the field.

Earthquakes of similar magnitude can cause tsunamis of greatly varying sizes. This commonly observed, but not well-understood phenomenon has hindered reliable warnings of local tsunamis. This research provides new insight that connects the characteristics of earthquakes -- magnitude, depth where two tectonic plates slip past each other and the rigidity of the plates involved -- with the potential size of a resulting tsunami.

Forest restoration treatments can reduce future fire severity and benefit populations of California spotted owls, even with temporary disruptions within owl habitats in the Sierra Nevada, CA.

The tropics is becoming hotter due to a combination of warming associated with deforestation and climate change -- and that can reduce the ability of outdoor workers to perform their jobs safely. Researchers estimated how many safe working hours people living in the tropics have lost due to local temperature change associated with loss of trees during the past 15 years.

An analysis of pledges made by many of the largest U.S. electric utilities to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions suggests that pledged reductions could reduce power sector emissions by a third as compared to 2018 levels. The study also found that about one-seventh of the cuts utilities have promised are reductions they would have to make anyway due to existing state requirements.

After studying the impacts of mining cobalt -- a common ingredient in lithium-ion batteries -- on communities in Africa's Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), an interdisciplinary team of researchers is calling for more data into how emerging technologies affect human health and livelihoods.