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Climate change is making Arctic soil more permeable, altering the amount of water that can be stored and transmitted. In coastal areas, rising sea levels will further increase groundwater levels, leading to saltwater intrusion. Photo: Vincent Sasseville/Nunataryuk Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Deed https://www.flickr.com/photos/gridarendal/49555909433Vincent Sasseville/Nunataryuk Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Deed https://www.flickr.com/photos/gridarendal/49555909433

It isn’t just a matter of melting ice: here’s how climate change is reshaping Arctic aquifers

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Beneath the surface of the Arctic permafrost, an entire hydrological system is reorganizing. A Canadian study reveals where the soil will become drier and where moisture will increase
Grasslands currently store about one-third of the planet's terrestrial carbon. However, they are subject to different dynamics and the impact of livestock. Photo: Pxhere CC0 Public Domain Free for personal and commercial use No attribution requiredPxhere CC0 Public Domain Free for personal and commercial use No attribution required

Ending grazing reduces stable carbon levels in grasslands

According to British research, undisturbed grasslands accumulate more fast-cycle carbon in the soil than those with grazing livestock. However, they also have lower levels of stable carbon
In Kerala, in southern India, natural forests store an average of 16.61 grams of carbon per kilogram of soil, compared to 11.82 grams in teak plantations. Photo: Parambikulam Tiger Conservation Foundation Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International CC BY-SA 4.0 DeedPhoto: Parambikulam Tiger Conservation Foundation Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International CC BY-SA 4.0 Deed

Natural forests beat artificial regeneration in carbon sequestration

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In intact forests, soil carbon levels are significantly higher than in areas being restored by tree planting, where higher soil acidity reduces sequestration capacity
According to researchers, trees, forest soils, and dead wood in Germany store a total of 2.2 billion tons of carbon. Photo: © Thünen Institute/Marius Möller press releaseThünen Institute/Marius Möller press release

Forest soil in Germany has offset carbon losses from trees during drought

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The discovery comes from the Thünen Institute: between 2018 and 2020, German forest soil stored more carbon than expected, almost entirely offsetting the losses associated with plant mortality
In highly productive areas, such as tropical and temperate ecosystems, the efficiency of carbon use by microbes decouples from the respiration rate once this exceeds a critical threshold. Photo: pxhere CC0 1.0 Universal CC0 1.0 Deedpxhere CC0 1.0 Universal CC0 1.0 Deed

The connection between microbes and carbon cycle is more complicated than expected

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In some circumstances, a new study explains, microbial respiration, with the resulting release of carbon, can increase even when biomass production remains constant. A factor that must be included in climate projection models
In Southeast Asia, deforestation and land conversion have released more carbon and greenhouse gases than any other activity over the past two decades. Photo: Pok Rie Pexels free to usePok Rie Pexels free to use

Deforestation has made Southeast Asia a net source of carbon

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In the first two decades of the century, according to a Japanese study, the forests in the area released more carbon than they stored. Fires, peatland degradation, and fossil fuels are making things worse
Between 2000 and 2020, approximately 90% of cities worldwide recorded an increase in the extension of urban forests. Photo: vgnavada from the WordPress Photo Directory CC0 1.0 Universal CC0 1.0 Deedvgnavada from the WordPress Photo Directory CC0 1.0 Universal CC0 1.0 Deed

From Paris to New York, urban forests are spreading around the world

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From the French capital to NY, as well as in Denmark and Brazil, the world's major cities are increasingly focusing on tree planting and soil de-sealing. Better air quality, climate mitigation, and biodiversity conservation are the main benefits delivered
The surface of ferrihydrite has mixed areas of positive and negative charges, allowing it to attract both negatively charged substances such as phosphates and positively charged substances such as metal ions. Photo: Jerry Bigham Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported CC BY-SA 3.0 DeedJerry Bigham Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed

This is how iron minerals promote soil carbon sequestration

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Iron oxide minerals trap more than a third of the organic carbon in soil. Among them, a study explains, ferrihydrite uses different strategies to capture different compounds
The study, which involved the universities of Aalborg and Vienna, is particularly significant for a country with a strong agricultural tradition such as Denmark. Photo: Jane Tierney Attribution 2.0 Generic CC BY 2.0 DeedJane Tierney Attribution 2.0 Generic CC BY 2.0 Deed

Denmark has mapped national soil microbiome

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The study, which involved the universities of Aalborg and Vienna, holds particular significance for a country with a strong agricultural tradition such as Denmark. The degree of habitat disturbance, the authors explained, affects microbial profiles
Today only 7% of the original surface area of continental peatlands has remained intact, and their climatic boundaries are changing. Photo: SiberianJay Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International CC BY-SA 4.0 DeedSiberianJay Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International CC BY-SA 4.0 Deed

Climate change puts Europe’s last peatlands at risk

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Currently, a study has found, only 7% of continental peatlands can be considered intact. But climate pressure is increasing, and in the coming years the situation could worsen

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