Earth & Space
Arid lands transform abruptly as aridity increases
Climate change poses a concrete threat to arid ecosystems, in which water is limited (it rains less than 65% of what is evaporated). These dry ecosystems cover almost half of the terrestrial surface and are predicted to go through increased aridification, which endangers the plants... click to read more
More droughts, more war?
Historically, violent conflicts tend to predominantly erupt in bad years, when droughts, floods, or heatwaves put the functioning of societies to the test. Does this mean that violent conflicts will become more frequent as extreme weather becomes increasingly common, globally, because of climate change? While each... click to read more
Rising Water and Sinking Land: The Ganges Delta
The Ganges delta is the largest and most fertile river delta in the world, and home for nearly 200 million people. The low-lying delta plain, covering two-thirds of Bangladesh, stands less than one meter above sea level. The rising water-level in the delta is causing... click to read more
Hot currents: Global ocean circulation speeds up
The Earth has experienced rapid warming in recent decades. This warming is caused by increased emissions of greenhouse gases related to human activities, as found by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The ocean is an important player in this process, as it is... click to read more
Corals display bright colours to fight bleaching
A seemingly endless sea of ghostly white corals more and more often replaces a once-thriving reef. The image of mass coral bleaching is a striking portrait of how climate change is threatening marine ecosystems' survival and the millions of people they support. Coral bleaching occurs... click to read more
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