Robinson Negrón-Juárez and his co-authors have now published the first study on windthrow variability, focusing on Central Amazonia. Windthrows destroy large swaths of trees, play a significant role in forest structures and dynamics, and affect carbon storage. In this study the co-authors present the seasonal and interannual variability of windthrows, and discuss the potential meteorological factors…
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Soils could release much more CO2 than expected into the atmosphere as the climate warms, according to new research by scientists in EESA's Climate and Ecosystems Sciences Division—Caitlin Hicks Pries, Christina Castanha, Rachel Porras, and Margaret Torn.
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The Geochemical Society and the European Association of Geochemistry are jointly bestowing the honorary title of Geochemical Fellow to James A. Davis as an outstanding scientist who has over the years made major contributions to the field of geochemistry. With other outstanding geochemists, he’ll join the ceremony for this honor at the Goldschmidt 2017 Conference to be held in Paris, France,…
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Jill Banfield, Faculty Scientist in Earth & Environmental Sciences at LBNL, and Professor at UC Berkeley, has been named 2017’s recipient of the V.M. Goldschmidt Award. This award recognizes major achievements in geochemistry or cosmochemistry. Her work focuses on geomicrobiology—natural microbial communities in the terrestrial subsurface, sediments, water, biofilms and animals. She also studies nanoparticle formation and behavior…
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Romy Chakraborty, whose background is in anaerobic microbial physiology and microbial ecology, assumes the role of the Department Head for Ecology, effective February 1, 2017 as announced by EESA ALD, Susan Hubbard
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Marin County’s San Geronimo Valley Planning Group is evaluating the watersheds that encompass the Lagunitas and San Geronimo Creeks, which drain into Tomales Bay and provide coho salmon habitat. Water pathogens have been detected in the watershed and Tomales Bay. Faulty on-site wastewater systems, especially for properties in close proximity to streams, have been identified as among the sources…
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EESA’s Trevor Keenan and collaborator Ülo Niinemets of the Estonian University of Life Sciences and Estonian Academy of Sciences have just published a new study in a Letter in Nature Plants that concludes that global plant databases and models are underestimating plant growth rates and photosynthesis, plus other traits, because leaf measurements are reported as…
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The U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy has awarded $4.6 million to Berkeley Lab for two innovative projects that promote nondestructive ways to “see” into the soil, increase crop yields, and promote the storage of carbon.
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Many scientisst have expected that trees and tree line would migrate to higher elevations and latitudes as the climate warms. However, new research conducted by a team led by Lara Kueppers, research scientist in EESA’s Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division and at UC Merced’s Sierra Nevada Research Institute, just published in the journal Global Change Biology, shows…
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Little is known about the spring thaws of the frozen Arctic tundra in May that generate large pulses of greenhouse gases—how large are these emissions? What are the mechanisms? “We can see the effects of climate change happening more rapidly in the Arctic than in any other part of world,” said Berkeley Lab/EESA scientist Naama Raz-Yaseef. “So…
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