Experimental studies under atmospheric conditions show two important reaction pathways in the hydroxyl radical-initiated degradation of isoprene, which form highly oxidised peroxy radicals with 8 or 9 oxygen atoms and may be of global importance for the production of organic aerosols.

Highly sensitive detection methods allow ever deeper insights into complex chemical processes in the atmosphere: Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) in Leipzig found a series of new product channels in a detailed product study on the oxidative degradation of isoprene in the gas phase, which allows a better mechanistic understanding of this important process for atmospheric chemistry. The results were published in the journal Nature Communications.

Temperatures around the world continue to rise – and the North Sea is no exception. Yet, in addition to this gradual warming, increasingly frequent and intense heat events also have consequences for marine organisms. Researchers at the Marine Station Helgoland, a research facility of the Alfred Wegener Institute, have quantified the frequency and intensity of these heatwaves along with their repercussions for plankton. They have also conducted an experiment that exposed the North Sea plankton community to different future warmer scenarios, both with and without heatwaves. The researchers found that gradual warming causes significant shifts in the species spectrum. When heatwaves are added, however, these alterations are amplified. The results have been published in three publications, most recently in Limnology and Oceanography.

New international research from Tulane University and published in Nature Geoscience is the first study to demonstrate global-scale patterns in how El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) influences mangrove growth and degradation. Previously, impacts had only been documented at individual sites, such as a dramatic die-off in northern Australia in 2015 when more than 40 million mangrove trees perished along a 1,200-mile stretch of coastline. 

The puzzling behaviour of Titan’s atmosphere has been revealed by researchers at the University of Bristol for the first time.