Climate

Projected Changes in Wind Power Potential over a Vulnerable Eastern Mediterranean Area Using EURO-CORDEX RCMs According to rcp4. 5 and rcp8. 5 Scenarios

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Under the threat of the climate crisis, renewables are an alternative that are aligned to European principles for clean energy and green transition strategies. Past studies have shown that the Eastern Mediterranean will present notable short- and long-term wind speed variability due to climate change. In this context, this study investigates the mean changes in…

Computing ecosystem risk hotspots: A Mediterranean case study.

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In ecosystem management, risk assessment quantifies the probability and impact of events and informs on intervention priorities. Analytical models for risk assessment quantify the impact of natural and anthropogenic stressors on ecosystems. Traditional approaches evaluate single stressors, whereas complex models assess cumulative impacts of frequently interacting stressors and offer better accuracy at the expense of…

State of the Global Climate 2024

State of the Global Climate 2024

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The clear signs of human-induced climate change reached new heights in 2024, which was likely the first calendar year to be more than 1.5°C above the pre-industrial era, with a global mean near-surface temperature of 1.55 ± 0.13 °C above the 1850-1900 average. This is the warmest year in the 175-year observational record. The State…

Why Earthworms, Ants, and Termites Matter for Climate Health

Why Earthworms, Ants, and Termites Matter for Climate Health

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A new Nature publication shows how soil invertebrates influence the world beneath our feet and thus also ecosystem services worldwide. Since the Industrial Revolution, global changes have led to a decline in biodiversity. To address these changes, it is crucial to understand what constitutes healthy ecosystems – and how to protect and build them. A…

Why vertical farming – and digitalisation – could be an answer to food shortages

Why vertical farming – and digitalisation – could be an answer to food shortages

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As global populations grow, food security is becoming more urgent. And traditional agriculture, which is susceptible to weather patterns and reliant on arable land, is struggling to meet existing crop production before even considering this increasing demand. The UK is also set for further harvest challenges, as highlighted by recent by recent Defra analysis, which…

Rapid Return of Water from Ground to Atmosphere through Plants

Rapid Return of Water from Ground to Atmosphere through Plants

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A new study led by scientists in the Schmid College of Science and Technology at Chapman University provides the first comprehensive global estimates of the amount of water stored in Earth’s plants and the amount of time it takes for that water to flow through them. The information is a missing piece of the puzzle…

Rapid surge in global warming mainly due to reduced planetary albedo

Rapid surge in global warming mainly due to reduced planetary albedo

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Researchers find a potential explanation for the unusually sudden temperature rise in 2023: reduced low-level cloud cover limits Earth’s ability to reflect solar radiation. Rising sea levels, melting glaciers, heatwaves at sea – 2023 set a number of alarming new records. The global mean temperature also rose to nearly 1.5 degrees above the preindustrial level,…

Scrutinizing the Statistical Distribution of a Composite Index of Soil Degradation as a Measure of Early Desertification Risk in Advanced Economies

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Using descriptive and inferential techniques together with simplified metrics derived from the ecological discipline, we offer a long-term investigation of the Environmental Sensitive Area Index (ESAI) as a proxy of land degradation vulnerability in Italy. This assessment was specifically carried out on a decadal scale from 1960 to 2020 at the province (NUTS-3 sensu Eurostat)…

Past, Present, and Future Climates in the Mediterranean

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The Mediterranean, with its extensive climatic history, stands as a unique repository for tracing and estimating climate change, drawing from historical and proxy data spanning vast timeframes >>> Zerefos, C., Xoplaki, E., Kapsomenakis, J., Solomos, S., Poupkou, A., & Gerasopoulos, E. Environmental Sustainability in the Mediterranean Region: Challenges and Solutions, 59-80 (2024) Recent related articles…

Soil Degradation in the Mediterranean Region: Drivers and Future Trends

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Soil sustains life and provides ecosystem services relevant for the environment, society, and the economy. However, soil is a finite resource and is vulnerable to degradation that reduces its ability to provide goods and services >>> Ferreira, C. S. S., Keesstra, S., Destouni, G., Solomun, M. K., Kalantari, Z. Environmental Sustainability in the Mediterranean Region:…