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Air Quality

The Fig Trees That Fight Climate Change: A Revolutionary Carbon-Sequestering Mechanism

Kenyan fig trees can literally turn parts of themselves to stone, using microbes to convert internal crystals into limestone-like deposits that lock away carbon, sweeten surrounding soils, and still yield fruit—hinting at a delicious new weapon in the climate-change arsenal.

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The Fig Trees That Fight Climate Change: A Revolutionary Carbon-Sequestering Mechanism

In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers have found that certain species of fig trees possess an extraordinary ability – they can turn themselves into stone, literally. This remarkable phenomenon, known as the oxalate-carbonate pathway, allows these trees to draw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in the surrounding soil as calcium carbonate rocks.

The research team, comprising scientists from Kenya, the US, Austria, and Switzerland, has been studying this unique ability of fig trees. They found that by using CO2 to create calcium oxalate crystals, which are then converted into calcium carbonate by specialized bacteria or fungi, these trees can sequester inorganic carbon more effectively than their counterparts that store organic carbon.

Dr. Mike Rowley, a senior lecturer at the University of Zurich, is leading the research effort. He explained that while trees have long been recognized for their ability to absorb CO2 through photosynthesis, the oxalate-carbonate pathway offers an additional benefit – the sequestration of inorganic carbon in the form of calcium carbonate.

This discovery has significant implications for climate change mitigation efforts. By choosing trees with this unique ability for agroforestry, we can not only produce food but also sequester more CO2 from the atmosphere. The team’s research highlights the potential for these trees to play a crucial role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The study, which was presented at the Goldschmidt conference in Prague, focused on three species of fig trees grown in Samburu County, Kenya. The researchers identified how far from the tree the calcium carbonate was being formed and identified the microbial communities involved in the process.

One of the key findings was that Ficus wakefieldii, a specific type of fig tree, was the most effective at sequestering CO2 as calcium carbonate. The team is now planning to assess the suitability of this tree for agroforestry by quantifying its water requirements and fruit yields and conducting a more detailed analysis of how much CO2 can be sequestered under different conditions.

This research has far-reaching implications, not only for climate change mitigation but also for our understanding of the complex relationships between trees, microorganisms, and the environment. As Dr. Rowley noted, “There are many more species of trees that can form calcium carbonate, so this pathway could be a significant, underexplored opportunity to help mitigate CO2 emissions as we plant trees for forestry or fruit.”

Air Quality

Flash Floods on the Rise: How Climate Change Supercharges Summer Storms in the Alps

Fierce, fast summer rainstorms are on the rise in the Alps, and a 2 C temperature increase could double their frequency. A new study from researchers at the University of Lausanne and the University of Padova used data from nearly 300 Alpine weather stations to model this unsettling future.

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The European Alps, known for their breathtaking beauty and harsh weather conditions, are expected to become even more treacherous in the years to come. A recent study by scientists at the University of Lausanne (UNIL) and the University of Padova has found that climate change is supercharging summer storms in the region, leading to an increased risk of flash floods.

The researchers analyzed data from nearly 300 weather stations across Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, and Italy. They discovered that a 2°C rise in regional temperature could double the frequency of short-lived summer rainstorms, making them more intense and destructive.

One such extreme event occurred in June 2018, when the city of Lausanne experienced an intense rainfall episode, with 41 millimeters of precipitation falling in just 10 minutes. The resulting flood caused estimated damage of 32 million Swiss Francs and left a trail of destruction in its wake.

These short-lived events are still rare in Switzerland today but are likely to become more frequent as the climate warms. Warm air retains more moisture, intensifying thunderstorm activity, and the Alpine region is warming faster than the global average. This makes it particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

The scientists developed a statistical model incorporating physics principles to establish a link between temperature and rainfall frequency. They then used regional climate projections to simulate the future frequency of extreme precipitation events.

Their results show that an increase of just 1°C would already be highly problematic, with sudden and massive arrival of large volumes of water triggering flash floods and debris flows. This can lead to infrastructure damage and casualties, making it essential to understand how these events may evolve with climate change.

“We need to plan appropriate adaptation strategies, such as improving urban drainage infrastructure where necessary,” warns Nadav Peleg, researcher at UNIL and first author of the study.

Francesco Marra, researcher at UNIPD and one of the main authors of the study adds: “An increase of 1°C is not hypothetical; it’s likely to occur in the coming decades. We are already witnessing a tendency for summer storms to intensify, and this trend is only expected to worsen in the years ahead.”

The findings of this study should serve as a wake-up call for policymakers and residents of the Alpine region to take action now and prepare for the increased risk of flash floods brought about by climate change.

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Air Pollution

Toxic Twin Found: MCCPs Spotted in U.S. Air for First Time

In a surprising twist during an air quality study in Oklahoma, researchers detected MCCPs an industrial pollutant never before measured in the Western Hemisphere’s atmosphere. The team suspects these toxic compounds are entering the air through biosolid fertilizers derived from sewage sludge. While these pollutants are not yet regulated like their SCCP cousins, their similarity to dangerous “forever chemicals” and unexpected presence raise red flags about how chemical substitutions and waste disposal may be silently contaminating rural air.

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The discovery of Medium Chain Chlorinated Paraffins (MCCPs) in the Western Hemisphere’s atmosphere has sent shockwaves through the scientific community. Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder stumbled upon this finding while conducting a field campaign in an agricultural region of Oklahoma, using a high-tech instrument to measure aerosol particles and their growth in the atmosphere.

“We’re starting to learn more about this toxic, organic pollutant that we know is out there, and which we need to understand better,” said Daniel Katz, CU Boulder chemistry PhD student and lead author of the study. MCCPs are currently under consideration for regulation by the Stockholm Convention, a global treaty to protect human health from long-standing and widespread chemicals.

While SCCPs, their “little cousins,” have been regulated since 2009 in the United States, researchers hypothesize that this may have led to an increase in MCCP levels in the environment. This discovery highlights the unintended consequences of regulation, where one chemical is replaced by another with similar properties.

Using a nitrate chemical ionization mass spectrometer, the team measured air at the agricultural site 24 hours a day for one month. They cataloged the data and identified distinct isotopic patterns in the compounds. The chlorinated paraffins found in MCCPs showed new patterns that were different from known chemical compounds.

The makeup of MCCPs is similar to PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” which have been shown to break down slowly over time and are toxic to human health. Now that researchers know how to measure MCCPs, the next step might be to study their environmental impacts and seasonal changes in levels.

“We identified them, but we still don’t know exactly what they do when they are in the atmosphere, and they need to be investigated further,” Katz said. “I think it’s essential that we continue to have governmental agencies capable of evaluating the science and regulating these chemicals as necessary for public health and safety.”

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Air Quality

Rivers Hold a Surprising Secret: Ancient Carbon Leaks into the Atmosphere

Ancient carbon thought to be safely stored underground for millennia is unexpectedly resurfacing literally. A sweeping international study has found that over half of the carbon gases released by rivers come from long-term, old carbon sources like deep soils and weathered rocks, not just recent organic matter. This surprising discovery suggests Earth s vegetation is playing an even bigger role in absorbing excess carbon to keep the climate in check.

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Rivers are often considered peaceful and calming environments, but a new study has revealed that they play a more significant role in the global carbon cycle than previously thought. For the first time, scientists have discovered that ancient carbon, which has been stored in landscapes for thousands of years or more, can escape into the atmosphere as CO2 released from river surfaces.

Led by researchers at the University of Bristol and featured on the cover of Nature, this groundbreaking study found that plants and shallow soil layers are likely removing around one gigatonne more CO2 each year to counteract this ancient carbon leak. This means that these ecosystems play a pivotal role in combating climate change.

Dr. Josh Dean, the lead author, explained that the results were surprising because they showed that old carbon stores were leaking out much more into the atmosphere than previously estimated. “The implications are potentially huge for our understanding of global carbon emissions,” he said.

The study revealed that around 60% of river emissions come from long-term carbon stores accumulated over hundreds to thousands of years ago, or even longer. This is a significant shift in understanding the global carbon cycle, as scientists had previously believed that most river emissions were derived from recent plant growth and organic material broken down in the past 70 years or so.

The research team studied more than 700 river reaches across 26 countries worldwide, taking detailed radiocarbon measurements of CO2 and methane. By comparing these levels with a standard reference for modern atmospheric CO2, they dated the river carbon.

Co-author Prof Bob Hilton explained that around half of the emissions are young, while the other half are much older, released from deep soil layers and rock weathering formed thousands and even millions of years ago.

The findings have significant implications for our understanding of global carbon emissions. The researchers estimated that rivers globally release about two gigatonnes of carbon each year, which is a substantial amount compared to human activity resulting in 10-15 gigatonnes of carbon emissions. This means that re-evaluating these crucial parts of the global carbon cycle is essential.

Further research is planned to explore how the age of river carbon emissions varies across rivers and investigate how the age of these emissions may have changed through time.

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