Deforestation triggers carbon collapse of tropical peatlands
Posted on 31st January 2013
Deforested tropical peatlands are haemorrhaging carbon from deep within their peat soils, with consequences for the release of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, according to new research published in the journal Nature. Dr Sam Moore, the lead author of the study, said “We measured carbon losses in channels draining intact and deforested peatlands, and found it […]
Climate-driven out of Africa dispersal of humans
Posted on 31st January 2013
A new study published in the journal Quaternary International suggests that out of Africa dispersal of anatomically modern humans happened much earlier than initially thought. Michael Petraglia from the Department of Archaeology at the University of Oxford, a co-author of the study, said in a statement for UPI that “the consensus view has been that […]
Effects of drought in the Amazon persist years later
Posted on 21st January 2013
An area of the Amazon rainforest three times the size of the United kingdom was strongly affected by a drought that began in 2005, says a NASA-led team that includes researchers Yadvinder Malahi and Liana Anderson from Oxford. The results, together with observed increases in rainfall variability and associated forest damage in southern and western […]