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Vaste aree della Grande Pianura ungherese sono sempre più soggette a processi di aridificazione. FOTO: GaborLajos via Wikipedia

Thermal waters against desertification: the Hungarian experiment

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In the Central European country, a grassroots project is bringing together citizens and local farmers. The goal: redirect thermal waters to the fields, restoring natural cycles and countering the drying out affecting agricultural land in the Great Plain
Biodiversity at risk in the United Kingdom. In the worst-case scenario, by 2070 many areas of the country could lose up to 20% of their existing local species. Photo: Ian Sharp Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic CC BY-SA 2.0 DeedIan Sharp Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic CC BY-SA 2.0 Deed

2050 is the point of no return in halting the decline in biodiversity in Great Britain

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In the worst-case scenario, a study highlights, at least 200 species are at risk of extinction while 9 out of 10 plant habitats will face lasting changes. And there is ever less time to reverse the course.
The study, conducted in the forests of Yunnan Province, demonstrated how altitude-driven environmental changes shape the genetic potential for phosphorus mineralization in the soil. At the same time, soil pH acts as a constant filter, limiting the microbial community capable of performing this vital function across different landscapes. Photo: Rod Waddington Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic CC BY-SA 2.0 DeedRod Waddington Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic CC BY-SA 2.0 Deed

Elevation, pH, and calcium are key factors in the phosphorus cycle

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A Chinese study has identified the key factors influencing the distribution of available phosphorus in tropical and subtropical forests, by modelling the genetic potential for phosphorus mineralization in soil
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
Peatlands used for paludiculture are home to about three times as many birds as drained grasslands, reaching levels similar to those of natural wetlands. Photo: Melissa McMasters Attribution 2.0 Generic CC BY 2.0 DeedMelissa McMasters Attribution 2.0 Generic CC BY 2.0 Deed

Adapted farming in peatlands is also good for biodiversity

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Peatlands converted to paludiculture support three times as many birds as drained grasslands, with levels similar to those found in natural wetlands, according to a British study
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
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

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