Phys.org Earth News

A U.N. report finds that 252 million hectares (ha) (623 million acres) across 149 countries are being restored, creating more than 1 million green jobs—the largest documented global restoration effort to date.

In eThekwini, researchers have harnessed machine learning and satellite data to spot the city's most landslide-prone zones. A new study published in Scientific Reports has found that urban development activities, including road construction, property development and vegetation loss, are significantly increasing landslide susceptibility across parts of eThekwini.

When the Baja California peninsula broke from mainland Mexico nearly 12 million years ago, it gave rise to the Gulf of California. New research suggests that this process of continental rifting was greatly accelerated due to tectonic forces on the opposite side of the Pacific Ocean.

For more than 30 years, MBARI technology has recorded real-time data about Monterey Bay, from oceanographic conditions at the surface to biological surveys in the depths of Monterey Canyon. These data are integral to understanding our changing ocean and underpin the institute's efforts to monitor the impacts of the incoming El Niño, which has been predicted to be among the strongest since the beginning of modern oceanography.

Polynyas are one of Antarctica's great counterintuitive features: recurring areas of open water surrounded by vast expanses of sea ice. These unusual environments are hot spots for sea-ice production, ocean–atmosphere exchange and biological productivity. They are commonly maintained by powerful winds that push newly formed ice away from the coast, repeatedly exposing the ocean to the freezing Antarctic atmosphere.

The authors call on governments, investors and conservation organizers to reimagine nature finance based on a central tenet: raising funds should be a means to an end, not an end in itself.

Plastic that enters the environment does not necessarily make its way to the sea via rivers. In fact, only a tiny fraction eventually reaches river mouths. Most plastic remains on land or within river systems.

The shape of microplastics can influence how deadly a viral infection can be for fish, according to new research from William & Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS). The findings suggest that some forms of plastic pollution pose greater biological risks than others, offering scientists a potential path toward reducing the environmental impacts of microplastics.

After the United Nations adopted a resolution in September 2026 endorsing a map that more fairly represents the size of Earth's landmasses, author and journalist Moky Makura of Africa No Filter—a main sponsor of the Correct the Map initiative—asked: "What else about Africa is the world underestimating that's also hidden in plain sight?"

For the first time, UC Riverside scientists have measured how much microplastic pollution falls on the Sierra Nevada during snowstorms and were surprised to find significant amounts even in the most remote locations.

Icelandic government officials recently met to discuss a dramatic scenario: what if the current that circulates Atlantic waters weakened significantly, or collapsed altogether?

The orange tree emerges as one of the most heat-vulnerable trees, according to a University of Córdoba (UCO) study that analyzed 17 tree species found in Córdoba's urban environment.

Residents and firefighters in an Indonesian city long shrouded in a toxic haze brought on by months of wildfires rushed outside dancing and chanting as rain this week brought a welcome respite.

Water demand in Africa grew by around 26% between 2010 and 2020, yet around 717 million people lacked a piped water supply in 2020, according to research published in Nature. The findings indicate that water scarcity in some parts of Africa may be due to a lack of infrastructure, rather than a lack of available water. The work provides a comprehensive map for water demand in different sectors, highlighting issues that need to be addressed to increase the availability of water in Africa, which fo

Researchers at University of Tsukuba have found that river responses to rainfall can reach rivers and appear as runoff much more rapidly than previously assumed in mountainous regions. Through continuous monitoring of precipitation and river water levels, they documented rapid rainfall-related responses not only in moderate-relief catchments but also in high-relief catchments with mountain slopes exceeding 500 m in length. The findings provide new insights into runoff generation and flood develo

"Taking Action for Nature" was the theme of CoP 17, the UN Biodiversity Conference 2026, which is drawing to a close in Yerevan, Armenia. A new analysis of African national biodiversity strategies and action plans shows how academic and research institutions can respond to this theme and help translate scientific evidence into taking action for nature.

Experts in climate, nature, health, national security, and financial risk have joined forces to call for a more integrated approach to government climate and nature risk assessments. In a commentary published in Nature Climate Change, they warn that conflicting advice can give policymakers very different pictures of the severity of the risks ahead, making it harder to judge how seriously to act and how much to spend.

A new study from the Institute for Food and Resource Economics at the University of Bonn shows that the success of nature conservation measures depends partly on the credible enforcement of environmental laws.

In a study published in Eco-Environment and Health, a team of 35 international experts led by Surrey's Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE) reviewed several studies from across the world on the performance of indoor greenery.

Viewed under a microscope, the air above the Amazon rainforest teems with activity. It is full of pollen, fungal spores, tiny plant particles and bacteria. Normally, the composition of this bioaerosol community is quite stable. A team that included researchers from the University of Graz, the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz and Brazilian partner institutions has now shown that microorganisms are transported across the Atlantic along with desert dust from the Sahara.