#Char application restores soil carbon and productivity

“#Char application restores soil carbon and productivity” Application of char with about 30% C changed the color of the soil. Credit: Michael Kaiser. Intensively tilled soils have lost up to 50% of their original C with the attendant degradation in soil properties and productivity. Restoring the C lost with current conservation practices (i.e., no-till, cover…

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#Fires ‘poisoning air’ in Amazon: study

“#Fires ‘poisoning air’ in Amazon: study” Credit: CC0 Public Domain Rampant fires in the Amazon are “poisoning the air” of the world’s biggest rainforest, causing a sharp rise in respiratory emergencies in a region already hit hard by COVID-19, said a study published Wednesday. The fires that engulfed the Brazilian Amazon last year to global…

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#Laura strengthens into ‘extremely dangerous’ Category 4

“#Laura strengthens into ‘extremely dangerous’ Category 4” Port Arthur firefighters check the temperatures of people arriving at the civic center where evacuation buses wait, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020, in Port Arthur, Texas. Hurricane Laura is expected to make landfall in the area Wednesday night or early Thursday. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) Laura strengthened Wednesday into a…

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#Difficult, complex decisions underpin the future of the world’s coral reefs

“#Difficult, complex decisions underpin the future of the world’s coral reefs” The Australian Institute of Marine Science trialling coral settlement devices on The Great Barrier Reef to help regenerate degraded reefs. Credit: Andrea Severati, photo courtesy: Australian Institute of Marine Science Effective solutions to the climate challenge threatening the world’s coral reefs require complex decisions…

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#Weather, reinforcements helping in California wildfire fight

“#Weather, reinforcements helping in California wildfire fight” A thank you sign is posted along Empire Grade Rd. Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Bonny Doon, Calif., after the the CZU August Lightning Complex Fire passed by. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) Firefighters hard-pressed by some of the largest wildfires in California history scrambled Wednesday to take advantage…

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#NASA’s orbital views of a strengthening, dangerous major Hurricane Laura

“#NASA’s orbital views of a strengthening, dangerous major Hurricane Laura” Astronaut Chris Cassidy aboard the International Space Station captured this photo of Hurricane Laura on Aug. 25, 2020 as it moved through the Gulf of Mexico and continued to strengthen. Credit: NASA/Chris Cassidy Astronauts aboard the International Space Station provided images of Hurricane Laura as…

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#Laura now forecast to be a catastrophic Category 4 hurricane

“#Laura now forecast to be a catastrophic Category 4 hurricane” This satellite image released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Hurricane Laura churning in the Gulf of Mexico, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. Forecasters say Laura is rapidly intensifying and will become a “catastrophic” Category 4 hurricane before landfall. (NOAA via AP) Hurricane…

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#Urban farming: four reasons it should flourish post-pandemic

“#Urban farming: four reasons it should flourish post-pandemic” Credit: Joshua Resnick/Shutterstock Since lockdown, public interest in growing fruit and vegetables at home has soared. Seed packets are flying off shelves and allotment waiting lists are swelling, with one council receiving a 300% increase in applications. Fear of food shortages will have motivated some, but others…

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