City living isn’t good for a tree’s microbiome, study shows. Here’s what that means
Trees are home to all sorts of critters: birds, squirrels, frogs and more than a trillion teeny tiny microbes living in roots, bark and leaves. These fungi, bacteria and microorganisms play an important role in tree health; Beneficial microbes can help a tree take up nutrients or defend itself against disease.
But a new study in Nature Cities published Friday found that oak trees in Boston have a greater number of “bad” microbes, like pathogens and plant decomposers, than beneficial ones because of city stressors like heat and pollution. This disruption of the tree microbiome could spell trouble for the health of both trees and humans, according to the study’s authors.
New Hampshire’s snowpack is shrinking. Researchers are still uncovering the scope of what it means.
New England residents know that snow is disappearing from our landscape, and scientists have proven that climate change is to blame. But the effects of snowpack decline go far beyond what’s visible, and researchers working in the forests of New Hampshire and the Northeast are learning more about just how far the phenomenon stretches across seasons and landscapes. Their findings reveal how much tracking snow can tell us about the health of our forests and our world, and what is still to learn.
Too hot to learn: Why school heat is a growing problem
Teachers are increasingly trying to educate students in dangerously hot classrooms, often in old school buildings built to withstand cold weather rather than heat. Unicef says hundreds of millions of schoolchildren globally missed out on education in 2024 after heatwaves forced the closure of their schools. Low- and middle-income countries are the worst hit, especially in cities where the urban heat island effect drives temperatures even higher.
New ordinance requires steps to protect workers from extreme heat
For some workers in the city of Boston, a new ordinance passed by the City Council will mean better protection against extreme heat next summer. That local legislation requires the city of Boston and its contractors to develop a heat illness prevention plan that would include providing employees with opportunities to access shade, water and rest as well as to receive training on heat-related illness and develop response plans in case of emergency.
Cool Roofs or Urban Trees: Which Solution Is Best For Fighting Extreme Heat?
The temperature in an urban neighborhood with few trees can be more than 10 degrees Fahrenheit (5.5 Celsius) higher than in nearby suburbs. That means air conditioning works harder, straining the electrical grid and leaving communities vulnerable to power outages. There are some proven steps that cities can take to help cool the air – planting trees that provide shade and moisture, for example, or creating cool roofs that reflect solar energy away from the neighborhood rather than absorbing it. But do these steps pay off everywhere?
2 ways cities can beat the heat: Which is best, urban trees or cool roofs?
The temperature in an urban neighborhood with few trees can be more than 10 degrees Fahrenheit (5.5 Celsius) higher than in nearby suburbs. That means air conditioning works harder, straining the electrical grid and leaving communities vulnerable to power outages. There are some proven steps that cities can take to help cool the air – planting trees that provide shade and moisture, for example, or creating cool roofs that reflect solar energy away from the neighborhood rather than absorbing it. But do these steps pay off everywhere?
OMG, why is it raining every Saturday in Boston?
There have been 12 Saturdays in a row with rain, according to Danielle Noyes, WBUR contributor and meteorologist with 1 Degree Outside, a weather forecasting company.
And yes, more is coming, forecasters say.
Global Warming Can Lead to Inflammation in Human Airways, New Research Shows
In a recent, cross-institutional study partially funded by the National Institutes of Health, researchers report that healthy human airways are at higher risk for dehydration and inflammation when exposed to dry air, an occurrence expected to increase due to global warming. Inflammation in human airways is associated with such conditions as asthma, allergic rhinitis and chronic cough.
How is Climate Change Affecting New England?
Climate change is here, all around us, affecting the four seasons that define New England’s identity and the activities we anticipate as the weather changes throughout the year: fall foliage and leaf-peeping. Quiet walks in the woods. Skiing down slopes of fresh powder. Swimming in beautiful lakes and at ocean beaches. Jogging along the Esplanade. Downing a dozen oysters at the end of a summer afternoon.
Professor Awarded $3.2M Grant to Expand Urban Heat Research
Wellcome, a charitable foundation based in the United Kingdom, has granted Patricia Fabian, associate professor of environmental health, a $3.2 million Climate Impacts Award to expand the scope of her ongoing research on extreme heat and health.