A €700 camera powered by a solar panel recorded visiting insects
Five cameras recorded insects in German meadows. A computer classified hoverflies well, but beetles and true bugs less well.
Planet and energy
A field measurement, an experiment and a scenario model can answer different questions about the environment. These readings bring together research on ecosystems, energy and changes on our planet.
What to look for in these studies
Separate what was observed from what was projected. A finding from one place or period does not represent every region, and projections depend on assumptions. The sources let you revisit the design, scale and limits behind each finding.
- Does the study use observations, experiments or scenarios?
- Which place, period and scale were studied?
- What assumptions or factors were left outside the study?
Explore the research
Eating better was associated with more food wasted and more irrigation water used to grow it
A U.S. estimate found that producing discarded food required less land but more water and pesticides.
Near more beehives, wild insects made fewer flower visits
In Paris, beetles, large solitary bees, and bumblebees visited flowers less where more hives were nearby.
Twice as many young fish arrived where a healthy reef played
Speakers played healthy-reef sounds over dead coral. After 40 days, those patches had more fish and more species.
Fibers captured by treatment plants can end up in soil
A global estimate found that 92% of microfibers estimated to reach land traveled in treatment-plant sludge.
In Boston, the hottest areas were not the most vulnerable
The tool combines temperature, vulnerability, and space for trees. In Boston, one map was not enough.
Asia accounted for nearly half of rooftop solar potential
Asia had the largest share of potential, followed by North America and Europe, with differences across months.
Curtailing turbines to protect bats cut electricity generation by up to 15%
Over 78 days, curtailed turbines generated 5% to 15% less electricity. With wind-only curtailment, even a reduction in deaths remained uncertain.
With more warming, lake ice would take longer to support weight
In simulations with 4°C more warming, waiting for usable thickness took nearly 20 extra days with white ice and about three with black ice, relative to historical black ice.
Nearly a century of counts points to fewer earthworms in the UK
Combining more than 100 studies, the decline appeared for earthworms, especially in forests and farmland, but not for cranefly larvae.
Fire brought tree numbers closer to historical levels, but not species composition
In simulations of dry forests in Oregon, moderate-severity fire came closest to historical tree abundance. Species composition did not.
Oxygen consumption in young oysters responded to heat and CO₂
Young oysters from a Chilean estuary were studied for two months. Estimated energy available for growth did not differ between treatments.
Which species returned explained little about restored ecosystem functioning
At recovering sites, species composition explained only 2% of differences in ecosystem functions. The relationship was stronger for biomass and structure.
A solar future would use 0.3% to 5.2% of each region’s land
By 2050, the model estimated the smallest land share in India and the largest in Japan and South Korea; results also varied with solar’s share of electricity.
Protecting habitats when planning clean energy would cost about 3% more
In models of 11 western U.S. states, stronger protections kept solar and wind projects out of intact landscapes.
Homes with tips or comparisons had smaller increases in electricity use
In Stockholm student housing, the seasonal increase was smaller with both messages. Among higher-use homes, the difference was clearer with practical tips.
In containers, plants and microbes together supported productivity
Both kinds of diversity went along with ecosystem functioning across 101 grasslands. In containers, they jointly supported production and nutrients.
Forest soil differed between summer and fall, with or without warming
In plots warmed for years, an index of processes and nutrients was higher in fall. Warming did not detectably change it.
With warming, more phytoplankton types appeared, but total abundance did not rise
After five years in experimental ponds four degrees warmer, diversity was 67% higher and production increased. Larger types became more common.
Heat-related phytoplankton decline depended on the food web
In freshwater containers, its mass fell by 85% to 95% with predators or without herbivores. The decline was smaller with herbivores and no predators.
Drought and nutrients had different effects by stream depth
Across 28 tanks, drought affected algae, invertebrates, and leaves in shallow areas. Combined with nutrients, it increased one fish species’ survival.
After drought, vegetation declined where plots were cut four times a year
Where plots were cut four times a year, vegetation declined after drought. No decline was detected with two cuts. Species number had little effect.
Legumes and tall herbs had more new carbon in their shoots
In chambers with grassland blocks, species number showed no marked differences. Carbon went along with leaf nitrogen and height.
Two substances discharge battery cells from within
In the lab, ferrocene and phenothiazine lowered charged-cell voltage to about 0.1 V. In another test, phenothiazine mobilized deposited lithium.
At many sites, a dry spring coincided with more photosynthesis
Less spring rain did not always coincide with less photosynthesis. The response depended on water availability: at many sites without strong water limitation, dry springs coincided with greater carbon uptake. The opposite pattern appeared where water was scarce.
A brief electrical pulse recovered metals from used batteries
In the lab, 94% to 97% of measured metals were recovered from cathode waste. Water and energy savings came from a model.
Trillions of plastic pieces float at sea; large pieces account for most of the weight
By combining samples, shipboard observations, and a model, microplastics made up 92% of pieces while large pieces accounted for 75% of the mass.
