Environment Content

Arctic Reindeer Could Decline by 80% by 2100

Katherine E Kerlin — August 15, 2025 - 2:29pm

Researchers predict that future climatic change is likely to cause declines in reindeer abundances and their distribution at rates rarely seen over the last 21,000 years.

Reindeer, also known as caribou in North America, are an Ice Age species that have survived many episodes of Arctic warming. They are uniquely adapted to Arctic environments, where they regulate ecosystems and sustain the livelihoods of many Indigenous Peoples.

Rainy Tropics Could Face Unprecedented Droughts as an Atlantic Current Slows

Andy Fell — July 30, 2025 - 8:00am

New research warns that global rainfall patterns could shift dramatically as a result of climate change

How Wildlife Navigated National Parks Before and During the COVID ‘Anthropause’

Katherine E Kerlin — July 30, 2025 - 5:10am

The presence of humans and human infrastructure in U.S. national parks has lasting effects on the behaviors of the large animals that call them home, according to a new study.

How Plants are Learning to Spot Sneaky Bacterial Invaders

Amy M Quinton — July 28, 2025 - 2:00am

��о�� scientists are using AI t help plants recognize a wider range of bacterial threats.

Tahoe State of the Lake Report Released for 2024

Katherine E Kerlin — July 17, 2025 - 9:00am

The ��о�� Tahoe Environmental Research Center today released its “Tahoe: State of the Lake Report ,” which presents data from 2024 in the context of the long-term record.

A Different Perspective on Salmon Farms

Katherine E Kerlin — July 07, 2025 - 10:36am

Salmon farms in British Columbia pose minimal impact on wild salmon populations, according to a review paper, or “Viewpoint,” published in the journal Aquaculture, Fish and Fisheries.

The paper, authored by six fish health experts from ��о��, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Washington State University, and Oregon State University, reinterprets 20 years of scientific publication to draw its conclusion.

Plants Seek Friendly Environments Rather Than Adapt

Andy Fell — July 01, 2025 - 9:33am

As jewelflowers spread into California from the desert Southwest over the past couple of million years, they settled in places that felt like home, according to a new study from the ��о��. The work, published July 1 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that the ability of plants and animals to adapt to changing climates might be more limited than it appears.

Anchovy Dominated Diets off the West Coast Pose New Dangers for Salmon

Katherine E Kerlin — June 25, 2025 - 12:05pm

A vitamin deficiency likely killed as many as half of newly hatched fry of endangered winter-run Chinook salmon in the Sacramento River in 2020 and 2021. These findings were published June 23 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Disposable E-Cigarettes More Toxic Than Traditional Cigarettes

Katherine E Kerlin — June 25, 2025 - 5:00am

They may look like travel shampoo bottles and smell like bubblegum, but after a few hundred puffs, some disposable, electronic cigarettes and vape pods release higher amounts of toxic metals than older e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes, according to a study from the ��о��. For example, one of the disposable e-cigarettes studied released more lead during a day’s use than nearly 20 packs of traditional cigarettes.

Lake Tahoe Clarity Report: Trend Stable, Not Improving

Katherine E Kerlin — June 16, 2025 - 5:35pm

��о�� Tahoe Environmental Research Center releases its annual Tahoe Clarity Report.