· Most CO2 from Australia’s megafires has been offset by algal blooms Formed by ash that settled in the ocean. When 715 million metric tons of carbon dioxide was coughed up into the atmosphere from the massive 2019-20 wildfires in Australia, scientists feared global warming had just been given a steroid shot. New research, however, reminds us of just how cyclical everything on our Earth is. Algal blooms in the ocean have been found to be feasting on the remains of the fire, soaking up 80% of the CO2 fumes emitted. The scorched ground left behind from the fires also creates ideal conditions for future plant regrowth which creates another carbon neutral environment as plant life grows back. However, when fires are larger than ever, droughts last longer, and temperatures are hotter, it’s not clear anymore that plant regrowth can last long enough or return densely enough to recapture what was lost in the blaze. Fortunately for terrestrial ecosystems, aquatic ones can help make up the difference.
· A magnetic field reversal 42,000 years ago may have contributed to mass extinctions. A flip-flop of Earth’s magnetic poles between 42,000 and 41,000 years ago briefly but dramatically shrank the magnetic field’s strength — and may have triggered a cascade of environmental crises on Earth, a new study suggests. During a r