Twenty years on, biodiversity struggles to take root in restored wetlands

While the restoration of natural areas is high on political agendas, a comprehensive new study from the University of Copenhagen shows that – after more than two decades – biodiversity growth has stalled in restored Danish wetlands.

University of Copenhagen - Faculty of Science

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While the restoration of natural areas is high on political agendas, a comprehensive new study from the University of Copenhagen shows that – after more than two decades – biodiversity growth has stalled in restored Danish wetlands. The results also suggest that time alone will not heal things because the areas are too small and dry, and nitrogen inputs from agriculture continue. According to the researchers, we need to learn from the past.

The benefits are clear: natural areas with high biodiversity absorb CO2 and can help struggling marine environments by reducing nitrogen emissions.

The establishment of wetlands ranks high among the green priorities of politicians in Denmark and many other countries. And with the new Green Tripartite Agreement between the government, industry, agriculture and environmental groups, Denmark plans to invest significantly in restoring natural areas in coming years, with the creation of new wetlands being a key focus.

However, new research from the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Biology emphasizes that these initiatives must be executed with careful consideration. The study, which is the first detailed investigation of biodiversity in restored wetlands in Denmark, describes the restoration of Danish wetlands as a "modest success." Despite decades of restoration efforts, biodiversity has stalled far from the goal line.

"Our study shows that species richness is significantly lower in restored wetlands than in original, natural wetlands. Furthermore, these areas are dominated by a few competitive species, while rarer and more vulnerable plants and mosses fail to establish themselves. In fact around one third of species found in near natural wetlands are missing, and it's all the rare species that are missing," explains Marta Baumane from the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Biology.

Few to no moss species were to be found after the restorations, and the species-rich genus “Carex”, typical of natural wetlands, were also underrepresented in restored wetlands. Researchers found only five common species of Carex in restored areas, compared to ten different species – several rare - in the near natural wetlands.

Baumane is the lead author of the study, now published in the scientific journal Journal of Applied Ecology. The researchers examined plant biodiversity using available data on wetlands across the Denmark and their own fieldwork at 72 different sites in three river valleys: Omme, Odense, and Tryggevælde. All of the wetlands studied were reestablished after 2000.

Time will not heal it

The results also make it clear that allowing for more time is not the solution to struggling biodiversity, as long as the underlying causes remain unchanged.

"If we waited another 20 years and returned, it is doubtful that we would see any significant improvements. Using the registry data, we can look back and find records showing that these areas have stagnated for the past 10 years. We must assume that this is due to a number of underlying factors that have yet to change. High concentrations of nitrogen remain in the soil and though the streams have been meandered again, they are often still in deep river channels, so the wetlands along them are too dry," says Marta Baumane.

In part, nitrogen residue comes from the land’s previous use for high-input farming, but it also continues to flow in from neighbouring areas with active farming.

At the same time, the research reports that many areas are too small and affected by incomplete watercourse restorations. These areas still show signs of dredged rivers and streams, as well as artificial drainage systems, which continue to dry out the land and, according to the researchers, prevent a natural ecosystem from developing in restored wetlands.

Grazers, meandered streams and an end to slurry drainage mark the way forward

Recognizing the problems should be the first step toward solving them if you ask the researchers. Based on their new research, Baumane and her colleagues highlight several concrete measures that could improve biodiversity in both older and more recently restored wetlands.

One of the key recommendations is the use of grazing animals. The study shows that grazed restored wetlands have significantly more plant species richness compared to areas that have been left unmanaged. Indeed, grazers create a more diverse landscape, with favourable conditions for a wider range of species.

"In particular, grazing reduces the overgrowth of tall grasses, which makes space for low-growing plant species and mosses that would otherwise be outcompeted," explains Marta Baumane.

At the same time, the researchers recommend that efforts be made to reduce the amount of nutrient-laden drainage water discharged from surrounding fields and ensure full restoration of watercourses so that the areas have the right conditions to become true wetlands.

Natural grazing, water conditions and less nutrients are easier to achieve in larger contiguous areas than in small isolated areas surrounded by agriculture. The researchers' recommendation to create larger areas also harmonizes with a final recommendation for future projects, namely that they are placed near existing natural areas with high biodiversity, from which plants and other organisms can spread to the new wetlands.

A failure to prioritize biodiversity

According to the researchers, the projects included in the study reflect a political approach to wetland restoration where the primary goal has been to reduce nutrient inputs into waterways so as to improve freshwater and marine environments. Essentially becoming open air waste water treatment plants. They point out that biodiversity is frequently mentioned in project descriptions, but without a clearly defined objective.

“If we continue to treat the country's natural areas one-sidedly as a technical solution to our nutrient and CO2 emissions, it will continue to cost us biodiversity,” emphasizes Marta Baumane, who is supported by co-author Professor Hans Henrik Bruun from the Department of Biology.

"To avoid repeating the same mistakes in new wetland areas, biodiversity should be prioritized in future projects, for example in connection with the Green Tripartite. If Denmark is to achieve its biodiversity goals, it requires a much more ambitious effort," he says.

 

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Facts: Moss is a strong indicator

Few - often no - moss species were found in the new wetlands studied. Research shows that the diversity of mosses is high in semi-natural areas, while dense grass vegetation in restored wetlands leaves no room for them. Mosses can therefore be important indicators of biodiversity in wetlands. The researchers suggest that mosses can be used to assess whether restoration projects are on the right track.

Facts: No natural wetlands in Denmark, only near-natural

Denmark is so extensively cultivated that even the wetlands that the researchers used as a reference, i.e. a natural basis for comparison, are also highly influenced by humans and could not be described as fully natural.

Even though these areas have not been cultivated, they are so small and isolated, surrounded by agriculture and without natural watercourses etc. that an actual natural state is not present. Instead, researchers coined the term “near-natural”.

Facts: About the Study

• The study aims to assess the restoration of wetlands.

• More specifically, it examines how the area's fertilization history, stream restoration, grazing, and species pool in the surroundings influence the achieved plant diversity compared to near-natural wetlands.

• The study was conducted on two spatial scales: landscape and local site.

• At the landscape level, monitoring data from 48 restored wetlands across Denmark were used (including data on grazing density, water conditions, soil type, and other variables).
• At the local site level, researchers compared vegetation, soil moisture, and nutrient levels in wetlands in three river valleys: Omme, Odense, and Tryggevælde. In each valley, four types of wetlands were studied: restored wetland with grazing [RG], restored ungrazed [RU], near-natural grazed [NG], and near-natural ungrazed [NU].

 

Behind the research

The following researchers where part of the research project - all from the Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen:

Marta Baumane

Lars Baastrup-Spohr

Kaj Sand-Jensen

Irina Goldberg

Kenneth Thorø Martinsen

Hans Henrik Bruun

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Journal

Journal of Applied Ecology

DOI

10.1111/1365-2664.14824 

Article Title

Nutrients, isolation and lack of grazing limit plant diversity in restored wetlands

 

UCF researchers advance knowledge about juvenile sea turtle’s early life stage, informing conservation efforts

These findings challenge existing hypotheses and provide important data for assessing risks from human activity and informing conservation efforts

University of Central Florida

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One of five wild-caught juvenile loggerhead sea turtles from the Gulf of Mexico tracked in this study, before tagging. (Photo courtesy of Kate Mansfield)

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Credit: Photo courtesy of Kate Mansfield

Biology researchers from the College of Sciences’ UCF Marine Turtle Research Group studied the dispersal movements of four juvenile sea turtle species, revealing that they may be active swimmers, rather than passive drifters, during their early life stage known as the "lost years." These findings challenge existing hypotheses and provide important data for assessing risks from human activity and informing conservation efforts.

The study, funded largely in part by Florida RESTORE Act Centers of Excellence Program, was published this week in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, representing the largest satellite tracking dataset of wild-caught juvenile sea turtle behavior from the Gulf of Mexico during this life stage, spanning from 2011 to 2022.

“One of the main findings is where these sea turtles are and where they go in this life stage because we haven’t known much about it,” says Katrina Phillips ’22PhD, who led the study alongside Nathan Putman and Kate Mansfield. Phillips says understanding these movement patterns among juvenile sea turtles will help guide conservation efforts to protect critical habitats for these species.

After hatching, sea turtles are known to leave their nests on land and enter the ocean where they spend their early years. This shift from terrestrial to oceanic habitat marks a critical transition in their life cycle to a life stage that has been understudied.

According to Mansfield, co-author of the study, professor of biology at UCF, and director of the UCF Marine Turtle Research Group, we are still learning about this life stage and it’s more complex than assumed.

“We don't know what they're eating, about their health, if and when they associate with floating algae called sargassum, which provides some protection,” Mansfield says.

The team of researchers tagged 131 juvenile sea turtles — 94 green turtles, 28 Kemp’s ridleys, five loggerheads, and four hawksbills — and tracked their movements using satellite-equipped, solar-powered platform transmitter terminals. These movements were compared with those of oceanographic surface drifters, floating objects used to study how sea turtle movements are influenced by ocean currents.

Researchers believe juvenile sea turtles swim offshore as an adaptive behavior to avoid predators such as birds, sharks and other fish, which are more abundant near the shoreline. Their small size makes them particularly vulnerable, so offshore waters can provide a safer refuge.

“One of the longstanding assumptions, is that juvenile sea turtles stay far offshore. Researchers call this the ‘oceanic life stage,’ which means off the continental shelf in waters deeper than 200 meters,” Phillips says. “However, what we found was that the turtles in this life stage are crossing over the continental shelf into neritic zones a lot more than we expected.”

A continental shelf is the gently sloping, shallow underwater area that extends between the shoreline and the continental slope, where the seabed drops steeply into the deep ocean at the shelf break. This shelf includes the neritic zone, which is the part of the ocean closest to the coast, characterized by nutrient-rich waters and a high concentration of marine life.

Phillips says the sea turtles were found crossing over to shallower waters and closer to shore, but it did not appear that they were transitioning to their next life stage, where they typically move to shallow habitats and feed off the bottom. Instead, the turtles seemed to approach the shore, then turned to avoid it.

“That was interesting because we had these passive drifters that we released with them and many of them washed up shore and none of the turtles did,” Phillips says.  

She adds that if the turtles don't behave like passive particles drifting with the currents and can actively swim and control their position, then existing movement models could consider both factors to correct errors in projections.

Existing hypotheses about the early life stage of most sea turtle species suggested they live exclusively in oceanic environments, drift passively with ocean currents and typically do not return to their previous habitat once they transitioned to a new one. However, these assumptions lack research into actual movement behavior.

“Historically, all our information about this young life stage has been limited to opportunistic sightings of these little, hard-to-see animals from boats passing by, tracking work on hatchlings in the first 24 hours after leaving nesting beaches, or laboratory studies,” Mansfield says.

Previous work also focused on the North Atlantic and on loggerheads, a species that commonly nested on the east coast of the U.S.

“I think it’s important to get data from different places and put the puzzle together to get a bigger picture of what’s going on,” Phillips says. “Researchers tracking this species were finding that they were staying offshore. But now that turtles are tracked from more places, we are finding that there are more nuances to what goes on. Loggerheads, for instance, we found stay off the continental shelf located in the west coast of Florida.”

Mansfield says sea turtle tracking can be costly, labor intensive, and the technology has limitations.

“It’s really hard to follow and manually track a little turtle over time,” Mansfield says. “You have to fuel a boat with researchers who have a strong stomach to go into the ocean. Historically, technology just wasn’t there to put a tag on a turtle and use satellites to be able to remotely track where they went. Tags were battery powered and as big as a brick.”

Prior to her time at UCF, Mansfield figured out a method to safely tag and effectively track small turtles, thanks to more reliable tagging technology, which played a role in conducting this study and achieving its results. She also credits their partnership with Inwater Research Group in helping to catch and track smaller sea turtles.

This research into sea turtle movement during the “lost years,” provides data for conservationists to assess and manage risks from human activity.

“The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 was a bit of the origin story of this project,” Mansfield says. “If we have another oil spill, we need to know whether these animals [will be] transient through an area, stuck there due to currents, or if they’ll end up somewhere else.”

Data from this study is already driving conservation efforts, including a proposal for critical habitat designation under the Endangered Species Act for green sea turtles. This designation would complement earlier tracking data led by Mansfield, which established critical habitat for loggerheads — the sargassum algae nursery.

Mansfield and Phillips say if assumptions are that these animals are strictly oceanic, then they may not be protecting them completely or addressing what they need for their eventual recovery.

“If sea turtles are occurring on the continental shelf, we suggest renaming this life stage to ‘dispersal stage’ to account their behavior,” Mansfield says. “This is important nuance in their life history, and the new terminology reflects a better understanding of sea turtle behavior, revealing more about these lost years.”

Funding information

Funding and support for this research was provided in part by the NOAA Oil Spill Supplemental Spend Plan, NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Florida RESTORE Act Centers of Excellence Program administered through the Florida Institute of Oceanography, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Friends of Gumbo Limbo Gordon J. Gilbert Grant, Microwave Telemetry Christiane Howey Rising Scholar Award, U.S. National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships Program, UCF Boyd Lyon Memorial Fellowship, National Research Council Research Associateship Program, and the University of Central Florida.

Researchers’ credentials

Phillips, doctoral graduate, integrative and conservation biology, UCF; postdoctoral researcher, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Katherine Mansfield, professor, Department of Biology, UCF; director, Marine Turtle Research Group; and Davis-Shine Endowed Professorship in Conservation Biology

Nathan Putman, senior scientist, LGL Ecological Research Associates

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Journal

Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences

Article Title

New insights on sea turtle behaviour during the ‘lost years’

MSU researchers glean photosynthetic insights from volcanic hot springs

Michigan State University

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EAST LANSING, Mich. – Italy’s Phlegraean Fields is a hotspot of volcanic activity — an ever-shifting landscape pocketed with acidic hot springs. This huge caldera is a part of the Campanian volcanic arc, which includes Mount Vesuvius, whose eruption wiped out the Roman city of Pompeii in 79 C.E. Yet, despite the hostile and scalding conditions of this environment, some microorganisms thrive. And researchers at Michigan State University are taking notice, hoping to uncover new information about how a particular alga survives in such extreme conditions.

In a new paper published in Plant Physiology, researchers in the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory and the Walker lab — in collaboration with the Shachar-Hill lab of the Department of Plant Biology — are studying Cyanidioschyzon merolae, or C. merolae, and its unique ability to photosynthesize its own food. Understanding how C. merolae operates in such extreme conditions can help scientists better extrapolate — or improve upon — the process of photosynthesis, a function vital to all life on Earth.

Science has only described a narrow slice of how nature has dealt with the same challenges, but in different ways,” said Berkley Walker, the principal investigator for this study. The paper “did a great job of determining that the way we commonly see something being done is not the way it has to be done.”

This study looks at the carbon-concentrating mechanism, or CCM, in C. merolae. Many photosynthetic organisms use a CCM to boost the efficiency of photosynthesis. The CCM acts as a delivery driver, taking carbon dioxide and placing it where it can be best utilized.

At present, the CCM is well understood in plants, but only well characterized for a handful of algae species. 

“C. merolae is a very simple organism, so it doesn’t have all the structures and abilities that people typically associate with how a carbon-concentrating mechanism works,” said Anne Steensma, graduate student in the Department of Plant Biology and the Molecular Plant Sciences graduate program. She is a co-first author of this study. “Our paper gets at what the . . . basic features that you need to build a carbon-concentrating mechanism are.”

Working with collaborators from the MSU Department of Statistics and Probability, the researchers devised mathematical models to simulate C. merolae. A lot of effort went into devising and refining this model of the algae so researchers can continue to use it in further studies.

“A big challenge in this study was figuring out how to make sense of how the many different parameters we were plugging into our model worked to interact with each other,” said Joshua Kaste, a co-first author on this paper alongside Steensma. “This made our collaboration with Dr. Chih-Li Sung and Junoh Heo in the statistics department vitally important.”

To create this model, the researchers input data that would allow the model to act as a C. merolae cell would in real life, or as close to it as possible. It’s a bit like giving an actor a script: You know the words the actor will say, but not every detail of their performance. The components of the CCM that the researchers best understand is the script, coding the computer to create a model of the mechanism to as much accuracy as possible.

Having this model allows the researchers to input new conditions to see how the algae might respond. For example, they can remove parts of the model and see if it breaks the function of the CCM. This can help researchers narrow which parts of the algae are vital to the CCM.

“This shows us the ‘minimal path forward’ for engineering a carbon-concentrating mechanism,” said Walker, who also serves as an associate professor in the PRL and the Department of Plant Biology. “The other way to look at it is that maybe we can improve this simple carbon-concentrating system in C. merolae and achieve even greater growth under the extreme environments that it lives under.”

This research was funded from the Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences, Office of Basic Energy Sciences of the United States Department of Energy (DOE) (grant number DE-FG02-91ER20021). Additional funding came from the DOE (grant number DE-SC0018269), the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation Research Traineeship Program and the National Science Foundation.

By Kara Headley

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Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for 170 years. One of the world’s leading public research universities, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery to make a better, safer, healthier world for all while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 400 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.

For MSU news on the web, go to MSUToday or x.com/MSUnews

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Journal

PLANT PHYSIOLOGY

 

Toward sustainable computing: Energy-efficient memory innovation

SOT-MRAM memory technology could replace cache memory in computer architecture in the future

Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz

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How much energy is consumed each time we upload an image to social media, which relies on data centers and cloud storage? Data centers currently account for about one percent of global energy consumption, amounting to 200 terawatt-hours of electricity annually. This immense energy demand has driven researchers to explore innovative ways to reduce energy usage.

New approach is equally suitable for smartphones and supercomputers

A team of scientists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) in Germany has now achieved a groundbreaking advancement in memory technology in close collaboration with Antaios, a magnetic random access memory company in France. Their innovation, based on Spin-Orbit Torque (SOT) Magnetic Random-Access Memory (MRAM), offers a highly efficient and powerful solution for data processing and storage—a transformative step forward for technologies ranging from smartphones to supercomputers.

"This prototype is one of a kind and could revolutionize data storage and processing. It aligns with global goals to reduce energy consumption and paves the way for faster, more efficient memory solutions," said Dr. Rahul Gupta, a former postdoctoral researcher at the JGU Institute of Physics, where he supervised the research, and the lead author of the study recently published in Nature Communications.

SOT-MRAM stands out for its superior power efficiency, nonvolatility, and performance compared to static RAM, making it a strong candidate to replace cache memory in computer architecture, for example. This cutting-edge technology uses electrical currents to switch magnetic states, enabling reliable data storage. However, one key challenge has been to reduce the high input current required during the writing process while ensuring industrial compatibility. This includes maintaining sufficient thermal stability to store the data for over ten years and minimizing the energy required to perform the storage task.

By exploiting previously neglected orbital currents, researchers at JGU and Antaios have developed a unique magnetic material incorporating elements such as Ruthenium as a SOT channel—a fundamental building block of SOT MRAM—to significantly enhance performance. Their innovation includes:

• an over 50 percent reduction in overall energy consumption compared to existing memory technologies on an industrial scale;
• a 30 percent boost in efficiency, enabling faster and more reliable data storage;
• a 20 percent reduction in the input current required for magnetic switching to store the data;
• the achievement of a thermal stability factor that ensures data storage longevity of more than 10 years.

The secret behind efficient memory

The breakthrough leverages a phenomenon known as the Orbital Hall Effect (OHE), enabling greater energy efficiency without relying on rare or expensive materials. Traditionally, SOT-MRAM relied on the spin property of electrons, where charge current is converted into spin current via the Spin Hall Effect. This process requires elements with high spin-orbit coupling, typically rare and expensive, often environmentally unfriendly, high atomic number materials such as platinum and tungsten. "In contrast, our approach harnesses a novel fundamental phenomenon by utilizing orbital currents derived from charge currents through the Orbital Hall Effect, eliminating the dependency on costly and rare materials," explained Dr. Rahul Gupta.

Dr. Gupta further explained that by combining this innovative approach with state-of-the-art engineering, the team has developed a scalable and practical solution ready for integration into everyday technology. This research exemplifies how scientific advancements can address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. With global energy consumption steadily increasing, breakthroughs like this highlight the crucial role of technology in creating a more sustainable future.

Successful industrial collaboration

JGU project coordinator Professor Mathias Kläui emphasized his excitement about the successful collaboration with the team of Dr. Marc Drouard at Antaios in France: "I am delighted that this collaborative effort has resulted in this exciting device concept, which is not only fascinating from a basic science point of view but might have implications in industry for GreenIT." He continued: "Reducing power consumption by discovering innovative physical mechanisms that allow for the development of more efficient technologies is one of the aims of our research."

The study was recently published in Nature Communications and has been supported by the industrial partner Antaios, the EU Research and Innovation program Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe, the European Research Council, the German Research Foundation (DFG), and the Norwegian Research Council.

 

Related links:

• https://www.klaeui-lab.physik.uni-mainz.de – Research lab of Professor Mathias Kläui at the JGU Institute of Physics
• https://rptu.de/en/sfb-trr-173-spin-x – Transregional Collaborative Research Center CRC/TRR 173 "Spin+X – Spin in its collective environment"
• https://topdyn.uni-mainz.de/ – JGU Top-level Research Area "TopDyn – Dynamics and Topology"

Read more:

• https://press.uni-mainz.de/innovative-self-sufficient-eco-friendly-eu-sponsors-new-microelectronics-project/ – press release "Innovative, self-sufficient, eco-friendly: EU sponsors new microelectronics project" (6 June 2024)
• https://press.uni-mainz.de/energy-saving-servers-data-storage-2-0/ – press release "Energy-saving servers: Data storage 2.0" (1 July 2020)

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Journal

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-024-55437-x 

Article Title

Harnessing orbital Hall effect in spin-orbit torque MRAM

 

Earth saw record-high greening in 2020. What’s at the root?

Duke University

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As pandemic lockdowns forced humans into isolation, Earth’s vegetation was thriving. The year 2020 was the greenest in modern satellite records from 2001 to 2020, according to a recent study published in Remote Sensing of Environment. Consistent growth in northern and temperate regions, combined with a brief period of tropical growth, primarily led to this remarkably verdant period.

Terrestrial, or land-based, vegetation is vital to life on Earth as we know it. Plants regulate carbon and water cycles, feed organisms and help offset fossil fuel emissions, among many other benefits. Monitoring greening trends and variability can inform ecosystem management practices and strategies for addressing climate warming.

“Terrestrial vegetation, like trees and shrubs, take up carbon dioxide through photosynthesis, so they can offer a natural climate-warming solution,” said Yulong Zhang, a research scientist in the Division of Earth and Climate Science within the Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment, who led the multi-institutional study.

The researchers analyzed satellite data collected from 2001 to 2020 for signs of greening based on several measures, such as vegetation structure, density and plant health. An overall trend toward more abundant vegetation emerged, with considerable variability from year to year. However, 2020 stood out as markedly greener than the others.

The team wondered: Was the pandemic responsible for the leafy bonanza? For example, lockdowns and travel restrictions temporarily reduced daily activity and air pollution, which could have enabled plants to flourish in brighter sunlight in the absence of human disturbance, the authors suggested.

To tease out the drivers of Earth’s green-up, they used machine learning and ecological simulations to explore how different environmental and human factors might have affected vegetation growth. Contrary to expectations, pandemic-related lockdowns had a limited effect on global greening.

“Although short-term air quality improvements and reduced disturbances slightly boosted greenness in lockdown regions, these effects faded quickly and were further counteracted by natural climate variability as the year progressed,” Zhang said.

The team found that 2020’s record-high greening was instead primarily associated with temperate and colder regions, fueled by rising CO2 levels, climate warming and reforestation efforts. The effects of climate warming were most prominent in cooler areas, such as boreal forests, where rising temperatures extended growing seasons.

Additionally, “China and India were massive green hotspots, thanks to tree planting, land restoration and agricultural management efforts,” noted co-author Tong Qiu of the Nicholas School. “High rainfall in 2019-2020 also boosted vegetation growth in the tropics, likely linked with climate oscillations, or patterns, such as La Niña and the Indian Ocean Dipole.”

The study highlights Earth’s remarkable ability to adapt to environmental changes, the authors concluded. However, they issued a note of caution.

“Climate extremes, water scarcity, wildfire risk and increased human pressures could potentially slow down or even reverse these gains under a warming climate,” said co-author Wenhong Li, also of the Nicholas School. “If that happens, we may see an acceleration of the ongoing climate warming.”

To that end, the team is calling for expanded monitoring and the development of advanced models to predict vegetation trends and variability as climate change accelerates.

Citation: “Earth’s record-high greenness and its attributions in 2020,” Yulong Zhang, Jiafu Mao, Ge Sun, Qinfeng Guo, Jeffrey Atkins, Wenhong Li, Mingzhou Jin, Conghe Song, Jingfeng Xiao, Taehee Hwang, Tong Qiu, Lin Meng, Daniel M. Ricciuto, Xiaoying Shi, Xing Li, Peter Thornton, Forrest Hoffman. Remote Sensing of Environment, Jan. 1, 2025, DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2024.114494

Online: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0034425724005200

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Journal

Remote Sensing of Environment

DOI

10.1016/j.rse.2024.114494 

Method of Research

Computational simulation/modeling

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Earth’s record-high greenness and its attributions in 2020