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Signs of wildfire damage in a tropical forest in Botucatu, São Paulo State, Brazil. While the consequences of large-scale deforestation are well documented, the effects of degradation in forests have remained much less certain until now. Photo: Thyrome, CC BY 4.0.Thyrome, CC BY 4.0.

New database reveals the climate cost of degradation in tropical forests

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Researchers have synthesized nearly four decades of data, producing one of the most comprehensive assessments ever compiled of forest carbon dynamics following disturbances and during subsequent regeneration
Brazilian Amazon. In the future, the forest's ability to restore normal emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds may become progressively impaired. Photo: Neil Palmer/CIAT. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).Photo: Neil Palmer/CIAT. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

When El Niño-related drought strikes, Amazon forest turns to chemical self-defense

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A study shows how the rainforest altered its volatile compound emissions during the most severe drought ever recorded in the Amazon, triggering a mechanism with implications for the atmosphere
Tiny pockets of water trapped within ice accelerate mineral dissolution, altering biogeochemical processes in cold regions. Photo: PIXNIO public domain Creative Commons Zero CC0 free to usePIXNIO public domain Creative Commons Zero CC0 free to use

Ice comes alive: a new challenge for climate models

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La ricerca dell'Università di Umeå: lungi dall’essere inerte, il ghiaccio favorisce il rilascio di ferro dai minerali, con possibili conseguenze per il ciclo del carbonio e le previsioni sul clima
Svalbard Islands, Norway. Arctic permafrost soils contain enormous amounts of organic carbon accumulated over thousands of years. Photo: Billy Lindblom Attribution 2.0 Generic CC BY 2.0 DeedBilly Lindblom Attribution 2.0 Generic CC BY 2.0 Deed

Beneath the Arctic permafrost lies a more complex ecosystem than expected

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Secondo uno studio internazionale l’impatto diretto dello scioglimento del permafrost sul clima sarebbe regolato da intricati equilibri biologici. Con dinamiche microbiche più complesse del previsto
For the heavily leached soils of the Amazon, the external input of nutrients carried by atmospheric currents has always been crucial. Photo: Ivan Mlinaric Attribution 2.0 Generic CC BY 2.0 DeedIvan Mlinaric Attribution 2.0 Generic CC BY 2.0 Deed

Rainfall controls how African winds fertilize the Amazon

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Uno studio internazionale svela come i sistemi atmosferici regolino la disponibilità di nutrienti trasportati dalle correnti d’aria sopra l’Atlantico che dall’Africa arrivano in Amazzonia
The LandISPortal platform currently contains over 250,000 field observations and more than 30,000 detailed descriptions of soil profiles, as well as hundreds of specialist publications and thematic maps. Photo: Siegfried Makedanz Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic CC BY-NC 2.0 DeedSiegfried Makedanz Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic CC BY-NC 2.0 Deed

Half a century’s data on British soil now available to the public

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La Cranfield University apre il LandISPortal, un database online costruito con oltre 30 mila campioni di suolo e 250 mila osservazioni sul campo raccolte nell’arco di mezzo secolo
At least one fifth of the 8,500 animal species linked to the soil, including fungi and invertebrates, would today be at risk of extinction. CC0 Public Domain Free for personal and commercial use. Image: pxhere No attribution requiredpxhere CC0 Public Domain Free for personal and commercial use No attribution required

One in five soil-dependent species is at risk of extinction

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A new study by Conservation International and IUCN reveals that over 20% of soil-related species could disappear. And the current lack of data suggests an even more problematic picture for biodiversity
A temporary soybean crop on a rye field in Dallas County, Texas. In the U.S., the area planted with cover crops has exceeded 7 million hectares in recent years, representing a 17% increase in just five years. Photo: NRCS/SWCS, Lynn Betts Attribution 2.0 Generic CC BY 2.0 LicenseNRCS/SWCS, Lynn Betts Attribution 2.0 Generic CC BY 2.0 License

For better soil health, cover crops come out on top

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A U.S. study has examined 50 years of best practices: cover crops ensure more consistent effects, while tillage, rotations and drainage show less uniform impacts across different contexts
Brazil's wetlands cover an area of 167,000 km² and have a carbon density per hectare six times higher than forests. Photo: Thpelin Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported CC BY-SA 3.0 DeedThpelin Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed

Beyond the Amazon: a forgotten carbon reserve in Brazil’s wetlands

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In the Brazilian savanna, wetlands store enormous amounts of carbon, but they are threatened by climate change and agricultural expansion. Moreover, conservation policies, which focus almost exclusively on forests, tend to ignore them
Il riscaldamento globale non cambia solo il paesaggio visibile ma altera profondamente le relazioni invisibili tra piante e funghi nel suolo. Foto: Pexels Free to use

Climate change is disrupting the symbiotic relationship between plants and soil fungi

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A thirty-year experiment in the US shows how rising temperatures are transforming ecosystems internally: the abundance of fungi that are useful to plants is declining, while decomposers are increasing. As a result, soil ecological stability is being disrupted