Enhancing tree diversity reduces N₂O emissions in forest soils worldwide
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 13-Jul-2025 07:10 ET (13-Jul-2025 11:10 GMT/UTC)
In a study published in National Science Review, a research team led by Prof. Xiaoqi Zhou from the School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences at East China Normal University has revealed that enhancing tree diversity can effectively reduce nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from forest soils. This finding underscores the critical importance of preserving high tree diversity in forests as a strategic approach to mitigate the impacts of global climate change.
Submarine canyons are large, kilometer-deep gorges on the seafloor along continental margins that transport sediments, nutrients, and carbon from offshore regions into the deep sea. Geoscientists Professor Anne Bernhardt of Freie Universität Berlin and PD Dr. Wolfgang Schwanghart of the University of Potsdam have uncovered a surprising insight using a global statistical model: The primary factor influencing the formation of submarine canyons is the steepness of the seafloor – not, as commonly assumed, the role of rivers and where they transport sediment into the ocean. Their new study, “Seafloor Slopes Control Submarine Canyon Distribution: A Global Analysis,” has just been published in the scientific journal “Science Advances”.
According to new research from Tulane University, mercury levels in the world's rivers have more than doubled since the pre-industrial era, and primary drivers of the increase are wastewater discharge, soil erosion and mercury releases from industrial activities and mining. The study, published in Science Advances, developed a process-based model to simulate mercury transport in rivers and found that global rivers carried approximately 390 metric tons of mercury to oceans annually before 1850. Today, that figure has jumped to about 1,000 metric tons per year. The research provides the first known global baseline for riverine mercury pollution.