The Arctic Ocean is a bustling metropolis of life that ranges in size from whales the size of small ships to microscopic marine bacteria that are 300,000 times smaller than a basketball.

Land ecosystems absorb on average 30% of anthropogenic CO2 emissions, thereby tempering the increase of CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. But plants need water to grow. When a drought occurs, and soils dry out, plants reduce photosynthesis and breathe less in order to save water and preserve their tissues. As a consequence, they are no longer able to capture carbon dioxide from the surrounding air and more CO2 remains in the air. While this effect can be easily observed in the lab, measuring its impact on the whole planet has proved quite difficult. One of the greatest challenges has been to measure where and how often droughts occur globally. In a new study, Vincent Humphrey, climate researcher in the lab of Sonia Seneviratne, Professor for Land-Climate Dynamics at ETH Zurich, used innovative satellite technology to measure the global sensitivity of ecosystems to water stress. The study was carried out in collaboration with the Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement (France) and the University of Exeter (United Kingdom).

Researchers found that in spite of heavy rains in early 2017, groundwater extraction for agriculture and human use leads to a continual sinking of land, as seen from satellites.

Arctic sea ice isn’t just threatened by the melting of ice around its edges, a new study has found: Warmer water that originated hundreds of miles away has penetrated deep into the interior of the Arctic.

Ancient animal herders added to the ecological richness and diversity of the African savanna thousands of years ago – an effect that persists to the present day, a new study finds.

Experiment shows microplastics aggregate with natural particles.

Researchers show that certain blends of bioplastics can decompose under diverse conditions.

Scientists from WCS and University of Hawai’i using new models to identify where forest conservation efforts will minimize human impacts offshore.

A recent PhD graduate at the University of Saskatchewan is among the first researchers worldwide to apply the groundbreaking sequencing of the bread wheat genome to develop more pest-resistant crops.

In two major Arctic rivers, a changing climate and shifting human activities are provoking a surprising response.