News by Subject Earth Science

As global temperatures continue to rise, the thawing of permafrost is accelerated and mercury trapped in the frozen ground is now being released. According to Researchers at the University of New Hampshire, the mercury is transforming into more mobile and potentially toxic forms that can lead to environmental and health concerns for wildlife, the fishing industry and people in the Arctic and beyond.

Russian mathematicians and geophysicists have made a standard technique for ore prospecting several times more effective.

The waters of the Mediterranean Sea continue to receive dissolved metals from the mining waste deposited in Portmán Bay (Murcia) 25 years after the cessation of mining activity. A study by researchers from the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), in collaboration with UB researchers, shows that the sea continues to be contaminated through groundwater containing heavy metals such as iron, cadmium, nickel, zinc and lead.

Expect a tradeoff between alfalfa yield and quality when fertilizing with potassium.

Edinburgh is losing the equivalent of around 15 football pitches of green land each year, much of which is due to private garden areas being paved over or built on, according to a new report by the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.

Many farmers across sub-Saharan Africa try to coax crops out of sandy soils that are not ideal for holding water and nutrients. Traditional approaches would have them apply more fertilizers and use irrigation, but both require access to resources and infrastructure that many do not have. A relatively new technology modeled for eight African countries, and currently being tested in Zimbabwe, shows potential for improving harvests through increased water retention and accumulation of organic material.