Some species of fig trees store calcium carbonate in their trunks – essentially turning themselves (partially) into stone, new research has found. The team of Kenyan, U.S., Austrian, and Swiss scientists found that the trees could draw carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere and store it as calcium carbonate ‘rocks’ in the surrounding soil. 

In a study published in National Science Review, researchers present multiple lines of observational and modeling evidence for a ~4% decline in global atmospheric oxidation capacity in 2020, reflected by a drop in hydroxyl radical (OH) concentrations. Using satellite-based carbon monoxide data, as well as methane and methyl chloroform observations, the study reveals that this OH reduction occurred in both hemispheres—approximately 2.4% in the Northern Hemisphere and 5.7% in the Southern Hemisphere—driven by distinct mechanisms. In the Northern Hemisphere, reduced NO_x emissions due to COVID-19 lockdowns led to lower OH and tropospheric ozone levels, while in the Southern Hemisphere, massive emissions of reactive carbon from unprecedented Australian wildfires caused OH depletion but tropospheric ozone increases. This contrast in tropospheric ozone anomalies is further corroborated by satellite data. The findings help explain one of the record-breaking rises in atmospheric methane in 2020 and underscore the critical role of both natural and anthropogenic factors in shaping Earth’s atmospheric chemistry and global methane budget.

ECMWF’s Council, representing 35 Member and Co-operating States, has announced the appointment of Dr Florian Pappenberger as the Centre’s next Director-General from 1 January 2026. He will take over the post from Dr Florence Rabier.

Ship traffic in shallow areas, such as ports, can trigger large methane emissions by just moving through the water. The researchers in a study, led by Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, observed twenty times higher methane emissions in the shipping lane compared to nearby undisturbed areas. Despite the fact that methane is a greenhouse gas that is 27 times as powerful as carbon dioxide, these emissions are often overlooked with today's measurement methods.

"Our measurements show that ship passages trigger clear pulses of high methane fluxes from the water to the atmosphere. This is caused by pressure changes and mixing of the water mass. Even if the pulses are short, the total amount during a day is significant," says Amanda Nylund, researcher at Chalmers University of Technology and the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, SMHI.