Tootfinder

"Easily overlooked small wetlands are a big source of global methane"
#Methane #Wetlands #Environment

Easily overlooked small wetlands are a big source of global methane
Waterlogged land areas such as marshes, bogs and fens are the world's largest natural source of methane. Even the smallest of wetlands emit this powerful greenhouse gas. In a study from The University of Texas at Austin, researchers have identified tens of millions of easily overlooked small wetlands across the globe and found that they have a substantial collective impact, accounting for 24% of the world's total non-forested wetland emissions of methane. This research is published in Nature Cl…

"Salt marsh recovery isn’t enough to offset destroyed older wetlands, study finds"
#Wetlands #Environment

Salt marsh recovery isn’t enough to offset destroyed older wetlands, study finds
Along Earth’s coastlines, grassy wetlands flooded by seawater, called salt marshes, trap and store carbon at rates roughly 40 times higher than forests on land. As salt marshes have expanded in some regions, scientists were hopeful their carbon stores might have largely recovered as well, but a new study found that’s not the case. Researchers […]

"Extreme weather events are accelerating tidal wetland loss, satellite data show"
#Climate #ClimateChange #Wetlands

Extreme weather events are accelerating tidal wetland loss, satellite data show
Tidal wetlands are critical, yet vulnerable ecosystems. Tidal marshes, mangrove forests, and tidal flats support biodiversity, protect against flooding and storm surges, sequester carbon, and improve water quality. Due to human development and climate change, tidal wetland areas have been shrinking globally. A new study using 40 years of satellite data shows that this loss has been accelerating in the U.S. and that this acceleration is being increasingly driven by extreme weather events.