Ecology & Environment

News articles classified as Ecology & Environment

Stanford Law School —

How to help forests fight climate change

A report from Stanford Law School Policy Lab and Bezos Earth Fund recommends climate-smart forestry practices as well as better data collection to quantify and incentivize forest carbon removals.

Watch loggerhead sea turtles cross the Pacific Ocean

Scientists are tracking the epic migration of 100 endangered North Pacific loggerhead turtles from Japan to test a hypothesis that warm water events like El Niño unlock a corridor allowing some turtles to ride ocean currents all the way to North America.

Stanford Earth Matters magazine —

The physics of fire plumes and flying embers

New research showing that forest canopies create their own wind currents could help mitigate the spread of spot fires responsible for many destroyed homes.

Study explores climate change impacts on seagrass meadows

Climate change is expected to deal a heavy blow to marine species. A new Stanford study predicts possible future global abundance and distribution of seagrass species under “best” to “worst-case” climate change scenarios, highlighting areas to focus conservation efforts.

Cooking on gas stoves emits benzene

About 47 million homes use natural gas or propane-burning cooktops and ovens. Stanford researchers found that cooking with gas stoves can raise indoor levels of the carcinogen benzene above those found in secondhand smoke.

Stanford Earth Matters magazine —

Mitigating the harm caused by wildfire smoke

As smoke spreads across the northeastern U.S., here’s a look back at what Stanford experts say about managing air quality.

Stanford Natural Capital Project —

River deltas under threat

Often it’s not rising seas, but sinking land due to human activities that puts coastal populations at risk.

Mangroves’ value

A new approach quantifies the value of mangrove forests in Belize for carbon sequestration, tourism, fisheries, and coastal protection, then uses the values to target conservation and restoration. The findings hold lessons for coastal countries looking for ways to balance climate goals with economic development.

Study examines biases and coverage gaps in biodiversity data

Natural history collections of plants, animals, and other organisms are becoming a thing of the past with the rise of biodiversity apps and digital tools. A Stanford study identifies benefits and biases in these two datasets, which are crucial for assessing climate change.